An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota, Part 81

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Marshall, Minn. : Northern History Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 726

USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 81

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In February, 1908, Arngrim and Haldor Johnson purchased Mr. Dalmann's interest in the store, and the firm name was changed to Johnson & Son. They enlarged the store and carry a fine line, of goods. Mr. Johnson was chairman of the Town- ship Board of Supervisors in Limestone . Annie, born September 12, 1891; Matthew, township and a member of the board of born September 16, 1893; Timothy, born March 8, 1895; Frank, born December 16, 1897; Joseph, born October 4, 1899; John, born May 20, 1902; Thomas, born March Royal township. He also was a member of the school board in Royal township. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of

three children: John A., a farmer of Lin- coln county; Haldor G. and Winnie J.

MATTHEW D. HAHN (1892) is a well- known farmer of Amiret township. He was born in Prusen, Germany, November 2, 1858, and is a son of Frank and Mary Hahn.

The parents of Matthew Hahn brought the boy to America when he was two and one-half years of age, and the family set- tled in Chicago, where the father worked at the carpenter's trade. Matthew was brought up in the city and was educated in the schools there. When eighteen years he enlisted in the United States army and served ten years. In 1886 he returned to Chicago and for six years was employed as a street car conductor.

It was in 1892 that Mr. Hahn came to Lyon county, having a short time before bought 200 acres of land on section 16, Amiret township. There he located and lived until the fall of 1905, when he sold his land and bought the south half of the southeast quarter of section 20, where he has since resided. Mr. Hahn is a success- ful farmer and is devoting much time to the raising of Red Polled cattle and Poland China hogs. His Barred Rock chickens and Toulouse geese are prize winners and he has taken several first prizes with them at county fairs and at the state fair. In his general farming Mr. Hahn is making a specialty of corn and vegetables. He received first premium on potatoes and vegetables at the state fair and several county fairs in 1911. He raised fifty-four bushels of Whimple Yellow Dent corn per acre, shelled net weight, in 1911.

In Chicago, Illinois, Matthew Hahn was married to Jane O'Rourk, the ceremony taking place January 16, 1885. His wife was born at Cedar Falls, Iowa, April 23, 1868, and is a daughter of Daniel and Ann (Conroy) O'Rourk, natives of Ireland. To Mr. and Mrs. Hahn have been born the following children: Mary K., born March 31, 1886; Clara, born December 16, 1889;

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7, 1904; and William, born June 22, 1909.

Mr. Hahn is a member of the Minnesota Field Crop Breeders Association and is president of the Lyon County Corn Grow- ers Association. He has been an active man in the affairs of the township and is a progressive farmer. Mr. Hahn's mother is still living in Chicago. Her husband died there in 1902.

L. P. SOUCY (1902) is the senior mem- ber of the firm of Marshall Furniture Com- pany and is the manager of the company's store at Marshall. He is a native of Que- bec, Canada, and was born November 25, 1867. When a baby he was taken to Man- ville, Rhode Island, and there he lived until twenty-two years of age. He then engaged in the undertaking business with a brother, Samuel, at Fall River, Massachusetts, and in 1892 he located in Minneapolis, Minne- sota. After ten years spent in the under- taking business in the metropolis of Min- nesota, in 1902 Mr. Soucy located in Mar- shall, where he has ever since resided.

Upon his arrival Mr. Soucy bought the Josh Goodwin stock of furniture, conducted the store three years, and then organized the Marshall Furniture Company. The company was incorporated May 1, 1908, by L. P. Soucy, Edward Birkner and Al- fred Birkner. In August, 1910, the Birk- ner brothers sold their interests to Joseph Fisher and the officers of the company are now as follows: Joseph Fisher, president; Chris Rock, vice president; L. P. Soucy, secretary, treasurer and manager. Our subject has charge of the store and car- ries on the business. The store is one of the largest in the state outside of the Twin Cities. Large lines of household furniture, carpets, rugs, etc., are carried in stock. Undertaking parlors are also maintained.

Mr. Soucy was married at Minneapolis to Alice B. Garneau and to them have been born three children, Emile, Argerie and Blanch. Mr. Soucy is a member of the Yeomen, Knights of Columbus and Modern Woodmen lodges.

HENRY LEITCH (1890) farmed on rent- ed land two or three years after coming to Lyon county, but for practically twenty

years he has resided continuously on the west half of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 36, Monroe township.

Our subject was born in North Ireland in the fall of 1850. His parents, James Leitch and Elizabeth Ann (Whiteford) Leitch, are no longer living. Henry lived in Ireland until 1872, receiving his educa- tion and helping with the farm work. Coming to the United States in 1872, he spent one year in Ohio and then moved to Winnebago county, Iowa, where he lived six years, working at farm labor. For several years thereafter he divided his time between Lyon and Blue Earth counties, in Minnesota, and in the vicinity of the town of Waseca, working on farms for the most part. In 1890 Mr. Leitch came to Lyon county, and after renting for about two years and a half he bought the land where he now resides and which he has greatly improved in late years.

· Mr. Leitch was married December 28, 1898, in Monroe township, to Esther Wil- son, a native of Canada. They are affili- ated with the Methodist Episcopal church. Mr. Leitch has served on the township board, having been a member for three years.

HALVOR E. FINSETH (1898) is the senior member of the firm doing business as the Central Creamery Company of Tracy. He is a native Minnesotan and has spent a large part of his life in the creamery business.

Our subject was born in the township of Holton, Goodhue county, Minnesota, on March 17, 1867. He was educated in the public schools of Northfield and in a busi- ness college at Decorah, Iowa. At the age of nineteen years he went to Minneapolis and for the next few years was engaged in several different lines of business there, conducting a shoe store, dealing in real estate, and operating a small creamery. He was married in 1896 and the next year conducted the old home farm in Goodhue county.

In 1898 Mr. Finseth located in Tracy. For six months he was employed as butter- maker for the Success Creamery Company and during the following winter took the management of a creamery in Hawley

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township, Murray county. After giving up the position in Tracy Mr. Finseth devoted his entire time to the management of the Murray county institution and conducted it three years. He then located in Will- mar, managed the creamery of the Farm- ers Co-operative Creamery Company two years, and then bought that company's plant, organized a $10,000 stock company, built a cold storage plant, combined the two enterprises, and then sold out. His next location was Early, Iowa, where he was in the machinery business a short time, and then spent a year and a half on the road for a cream separator com- pany.

Mr. Finseth again became a resident of Tracy in 1906. The same year he or- ganized the Central Creamery . Company, bought a plant already established, and a year and a half later took in as a part- ner W. E. Westberg. The latter sold his interest in July, 1911, to John Klabunde, the butter-maker, and that gentleman and Mr. Finseth are now the proprietors. The firm manufactures butter and ice cream and deals in crushed fruits and soda foun- tain supplies.

In the city of Minneapolis, on June 26, 1896, Mr. Finseth was married to Alma C. Henderson. They have two children, Cora and Herbert.

Our subject is a son of Herbrand and Guri (Qui) Finseth. They were born in Norway but came to America in early life, in 1852 or 1853, and homesteaded in Good- hue county, Minnesota. The father died there in 1901; the mother still lives on the old homestead. There are five chil- dren in the family, named as follows: Halvor E., Mary, Emma, Knute and Anna.

An uncle of our subject, A. K. Finseth, who now lives a retired life in Goodhue county, has taken quite a prominent part in the political affairs of Minnesota. He served as a state senator six terms and served as state food commissioner, having been appointed by Governor Merriam.

WALTER R. CHITTENDEN (1880), of Marshall, is a native of the city in which he lives. He descends from an old colonial family with a Revolutionary War record. He is the son of pioneers of Lyon county,

A. C. and Agnes (Hill) Chittenden, who also reside in Marshall.

Walter was born May 6, 1880, and until he reached his majority resided in the city of his birth. His primary education was secured in the Marshall public schools, and it was supplemented with a one year course in Ames College and a two years' course in Kearney Military Academy, of Kearney, Nebraska. At the age of twenty-one years he went to Oliver county, North Dakota, took a homestead, resided on the place two years, and commuted.

After obtaining title to his land Mr. Chit- tenden located in Ritzville, Washington, and during the next four years was a mem- ber of the firm of Chittenden Brothers, grocery dealers. He sold his interests in the store and located in Canby, Minnesota. There he engaged in the mercantile busi- ness two years and at Gary, South Dakota, two years. Mr. Chittenden then returned to Marshall and has since been associated with his father in the real estate busi- ness. He is a member of the Masonic, Elks and Modern Woodmen lodges.

Walter Chittenden was married at Spo- kane, Washington, June 5, 1906, to Louise M. Dawell, a native of Sprague, Washing- ton, and a daughter of August and Han- nah Dawell, of that place. Mr. and Mrs. Chittenden have one child, Rodney D., born November 1, 1909.

OLE PAULSON (1891), Coon Creek township farmer, was born in Denmark June 15, 1860. His parents are Paul and Annie (Matson) Jenson. He received his early schooling in Denmark and worked at farm labor until twenty-five years of age, when he came to the United States. He located in Shelby county, Iowa, where he worked at farm labor two years. He then moved to Le Sueur county, Minne- sota, near St. Peter, where he worked in the stone quarries and on the railroad four years, after which he came to Lyon county,

Prior to his arrival to Lyon county in 1891 Mr. Paulson had purchased the east half of the northeast quarter of section 32, Coon Creek township. That property he later sold and purchased the land he now owns and operates, the northeast quarter of section 29, of the same township. He

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has made all the improvements on the place and has a fine farm. When Mr. Paul- son came to Lyon county he had two cows, one pair of oxen, a wagon, fifty dollars cash and had $140 paid down on his eighty acre tract. He holds stock in the Lyon County Co-operative Store Company of Russell and is a director of school district No. 76. He holds membership in the Modern Woodmen and Danish Brotherhood of America lodges.

Mr. Paulson was married at Avoca, Iowa, on May 28, 1885, to Mary Nelson, a native of Denmark. She is a daughter of Nels and Johanna (Christenson) Mortenson and was born July 20, 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Paulson are the parents of the following named six children: Katie, born July 21, 1889; Charles J., born March 10, 1891; Chris P. and Fred M. (twins), born March 2, 1894; George W., born April 1, 1902; Magdaline, born November 1, 1903.

GEORGE GEIWITZ (1898) is the pro- prietor of one of the leading hardware and implement stores of Minneota and is one of the progressive citizens of that thriving town, where he has resided since 1898. He is a native of the state, having been born in Houston county August 13, 1857, where he lived until twenty-one years of age. He then moved to Lincoln county, Minnesota, and homesteaded in Limestone township, where he resided until June 6, 1898.

That year Mr. Geiwitz moved to Minne- ota and bought a half interest in the Peter Ferguson hardware store. The business was run under the firm name of Ferguson & Geiwitz one and a half years, when Mr. Geiwitz bought his partner's interest and ran the business two years. He then sold a half interest to Dahl & Deen, and the firm name became Geiwitz & Company. During their regime, in 1902, the present large business block was erected. The main part is 40x75 feet, with a south front of 60x50 feet, and is one of the largest store buildings of the kind in the county. In 1908 Mr. Geiwitz bought the interests of his partners and took into the business his son, John G. Geiwitz. The firm is now styled Geiwitz & Son. The firm deals extensively in hardware, imple- ments, automobiles, wagons and buggies.

Mr. Geiwitz is the son of George and

Walberga Geiwitz, both natives of Ger- many, who came to the United States in 1848.

Our subject was married at La Crosse, Wisconsin, March 24, 1885, to Sophia Gas- sert, who was born in Houston county, Minnesota. They have eight children, namely : Sarah ( Mrs. O. H. Werpy), of Minneota; Edward, of British Columbia; John, of Minneota; Dora and Cora (twins), Fritz, Peter and Priscilla.

Mr. Geiwitz is a member of the M. W. A. lodge. He was a member of the Village Council one year.

ADOLPH B. LARSON (1887) is man- ager of the Christianson-Innes lumber yard at Florence. He is a native of Minnesota and was born in Fillmore county March 9, 1879, a son of Borce and Carrie (Christian- son) Larson. The parents came to the United States from Norway in the early sixties and settled in Fillmore county, where they resided until 1878, when they came to Lyon county. In 1910 they re- tired from farm life and moved to Flor- ence to live. They have six children, as follows: Lonise (Mrs. Lars Ordlock), of Florence; Adolph B., of this sketch; Carl, of Lyon county; Lena (Mrs. G. A. Ofstad), of Florence; Anton, the post - master of Florence; and Clara, of Florence.

The man whose name heads this sketch made his home with his parents in Shel- burne township and attended school until sixteen years of age. He then started hustling for himself, working at farm labor and threshing. When twenty-one years of age he engaged in the general merchandise business at Ruthton and continued that business three years. He then farmed the home place several years and in 1908 entered the employ of the Christianson- Innes Lumber Company at Florence as local manager. He is a member of the Masonic lodge and a director of the Stato Bank of Florence. Mr. Larson is a justice of the peace and was assessor of Shelburne township in 1908.

October 14, 1908, Mr. Larson was mar- ried to Miss Ida E. Green, a native of Lyon county and a daughter of C. F. Green, one of the older residents of the county, for- merly owner of the lumber yards of which

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our subject now has charge. Mr. and Mrs. Larson are the parents of two children, Wyvil B. and a baby boy.

OLAUS M. LARSON (1901) is manager of the Farmers Elevator Company at Lynd. He also handles farm machinery and ve- hicles in connection with his elevator work. Mr. Larson was born at Deerfield, Wiscon- sin, November 4, 1871, where he received his early education and assisted his broth- ers on the farm. He also taught school for three years. His mother died when he was a young man. Olaus received a high school education.

In 1901 Olaus Larson located in Lynd and a while later went to Muskoda, where he bought grain for the Federal Elevator Company. He also bought grain for the same company at Portland. He returned to Lynd in 1904 and purchased grain for the New London Milling Company two years, then went to Hereford Minnesota, and bought grain for the Federal Company. He also engaged in the same work one year at Bird Island, Minnesota, for the Colum- bian Elevator Company, and at Maynard one year for the Northwestern Elevator Company. Mr. Larson again took up his residence in Lynd in 1909 and has since managed the farmers' elevator there.

The Lynd Farmers Elevator Company was incorporated in 1909, organized by about seventy-five farmers of the vicinity. They purchased the Northwestern Elevator Company's building, with a capacity of 30,000 bushels. They handle grain, coal and feed. The following are the officers: President, E. E. Davis; vice president, Peter Frahm; treasurer, A. A. Sharratt; secretary, Frank Harris; manager, O. M. Larson. The following are directors: Frank Graves, Let Foster, George Madden, Frank Harris, A. A. Sharratt, Peter Frahm, E. E. Davis.

Our subject was married at Lynd on February 8, 1905, to Belle Robertson, a native of Illinois. They have three chil- dren: Geraldine R., Wilber B. and Reolf E.

Mr. Larson is a son of Gullick and Anna (Brennberg) Larson, natives of Norway and early settlers of Deerfield, Wisconsin, where they both died. They have eight children surviving them: Martha, Lewis, John, Andrew, Nels, Dora, Albert and Olaus.

ALBERT VOLK (1889) is a dealer in electric supplies in the city of Marshall, and has been chief of the Marshall Fire Department the past sixteen years. Albert was born at St. Peter, Minnesota, January 24, 1870, and received his education and grew to manhood in that city. He was a schoolmate of the late Governor John A. Johnson. When a young lad he learned the cigar-maker's trade and worked at it in St. Peter until 1889.

In the last named year, in company with another young man, Herman Walter, Mr. Volk came to Marshall and started a cigar factory. They had worked together in St. Peter and their object was to better their conditions. The firm name was Volk & Walter, and they continued in partnership until 1908, when our subject sold his in- terest in the factory. At the same time he purchased the electric supply depart- ment of the city of Marshall and has since conducted that business. His work con- sists in installing electric lights, motors and domestic appliances. He employs sev- eral men and carries a large stock of elec- trical supplies, electric glassware, electric heating devices and motors. Mr. Volk was a member of the City Council during 1904 and 1905. He is a member of the Catholic church.

Albert Volk is the son of Rudolph and Louise (Lahnus) Volk, natives of Baden, Germany. They came to the United States when young and were married in Cincin- nati, Ohio, moving to St. Peter in 1868. Rudolph Volk was engaged in running a cooper shop for a number of years. He died March 20, 1910. Mrs. Volk died March 24, 1911. They were the parents of three children: Albert, of this sketch; Charles Volk, of the firm of Danby & Volk, cigar manufacturers; Lena ( Mrs. William Balsted), of Minneapolis.

GUY H. KIEL (1890) is the proprietor of a grocery, crockery and china store in Marshall and has resided in Lyon county since he was four years of age. He is a native of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, and was born October 1, 1886. He is one of a family of eight children born to Milton C. and Mary A. ( Hatfield) Kiel, now residents of Marshall. The other children of the

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family are Abner, Robert, Orion K., John, Willie, Annie and Prudence.

The Kiel family came to Lyon county . in 1890 and Guy resided on the Lynd town- ship home farm until a young man. He was graduated from the Marshall High School in 1906. During the next year he clerked in grocery stores in Marshall and in a china and crockery store at Water- town, South Dakota. He returned to Mar- shall in 1907 and opened the store which he has since conducted. Mr. Kiel is a member of the Elks lodge.

The marriage of our subject to Alice Whistler, of Watertown, South Dakota, oc- curred June 16, 1908.

CHRISTINE HANSON (1885) owns and lives on a well-improved 120-acre farm on section 16, Nordland township. Miss Han- son does not farm the land but has a ten- ant on the place. .

She was born in Lyon county June 8, 1885, a daughter of the late Robert and Ellen (Olson) Hanson. Her parents were early settlers of the county and homestead- ers of Nordland township. Miss Hanson attended the district school until seventeen years of age and resided on the farm with her parents until the fall of 1905. Her parents then moved to Minneota, where they resided until their deaths. She spent eighteen months in Logan county, North Dakota, keeping house for her brother on a claim. She returned to her native county in November, 1908, and in March, 1911, she located on her present farm. She be- came part owner of the property in 1909 and sole owner in the spring of 1912. Miss Hanson is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Minneota.

L. M. LERWICK (1910) is cashier of the First National Bank of Minneota and is one of the substantial and popular cit- izens of that prosperous village. He was born in Norway on July 18, 1862, and in 1868 he came to America. With his par- ents he located in Fillmore county, Minne- sota, and two years later moved to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where he grew to manhood. After an academic education, he taught school for eight years.

In 1890 Mr. Lerwick took up his resi- dence in Madison, Minnesota, and began his banking career. He entered the Lac qui Parle County Bank and remained with that institution three years. He then moved to Canby, Minnesota, and was con- nected with the Bank of Canby until 1900, when he moved to Hendricks and organized the Lincoln County State Bank, which was changed into a national bank two years later. He remained at Hendricks until 1909, when he left Minnesota and took up his residence in Morgan Hill, California. There he bought orchard lands and en- gaged in fruit cultivation. In July, 1910, he returned to Minnesota to accept the position of cashier of the First National Bank of Minneota, a position he has since held.

Mr. Lerwick was married at Sheffield, Iowa, December 30, 1900, to Emma Tre- ganza, who is a native of Linden, Wiscon- sin.

The subject of this review is the son of Iver and Rebecca (Johnson) Lerwick, na- tives of Norway, both of whom are dead. They have two sons living, Olie, of Dalton, Minnesota, and L. M., of this sketch; and two daughters, Hannah Olufson and Mar- garetha Swenson, both of Canby.

Mr. Lerwick is a member of the Blue Lodge and Scottish Rite bodies of Mason- ry, the Mystic Shrine, Odd Fellows and M. W. A. lodges. While a resident of Lin- coln county he was chairman of the Repub- lican County Central Committee.

CHARLES R. ANDERSON (1903) is the proprietor of a harness shop and shoe store at Balaton, where he has resided nine years. He was born in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, on October 16, 1882. The parents of our sub- ject were Jens P. and Johanna (Nyberg) Anderson, the former a native of Denmark and the latter of Sweden. They settled in Sleepy Eye, where Mr. Anderson died in 1885. To this union were born two children: Charles R., of this sketch, and Frank R., of Minneapolis. After her husband's death Mrs. Anderson married H. A. Hanson, and to that union were born the following chil- dren: Louise E. ( Mrs. Jens Jensen), of Sleepy Eye; Hulda C., Ferdina C. M. Han- son, of Canby.

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Charles Anderson made his home with his parents at Sleepy Eye until twelve years of age, when he entered a harness shop in that village and learned the trade. For several years he worked at various places at his trade and other occupations. In May, 1903, he moved to Balaton and entered the em- ploy of N. H. Wahlgren as a harnessmaker. In January, 1908, he purchased the busi- ness and stock of Mr. Wahlgren. He con- ducts a harness and repair shop and deals in shoes. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors lodges and of the Balaton Fire Department.

Mr. Anderson was married at Balaton October 24, 1907, to Anna Griese, a native of Germany and a daughter of Albert Griese. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of two children, Leona J. and Willard C.

JOE R. McELVAIN (1892) is superintend- ent of the Tracy Electric Light and Water- works plant, a position he has held since 1905. He bas been a resident of Tracy since 1892.

Mr. McElvain's parents were James and Sarah (Purcell) McElvain, the former a na- tive of Illinois and the latter of Tennessee. They settled in Nebraska in 1858 and farmed in that state until 1863, when they moved to Worth county, Missouri. Their next move was to Idaho in 1877, where Mrs. McElvain died the following year; then her husband returned to Missouri, where he died. There are seven living children in the family: John, of Missouri; Joe R., of this sketch; Commo- dore B., of Colorado; Andrew, of North Da- kota; Ida M. Fouts, of Allendale, Missouri; and Elmer, of West Virginia.

The subject of this review was born near Humbolt, Richardson county, Nebraska, on January 27, 1861, and when he was three years of age the family moved to Worth county, Missouri. There Joe resided with his parents until attaining the age of seven- teen years; then he went to Idaho and re- mained two years. Returning to his old home in Missouri, he remained only a few months and then took up his residence in his native state, where he resided until 1892. During that time he engaged in farm- ing five years, was in the well-drilling busi- ness two years, and worked at various other occupations.

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An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota, Part 81

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970 Publication date: 1912 Publisher: Marshall, Minn. : Northern History Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 726

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1912
Publisher: Marshall, Minn. : Northern History Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 726