USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 92
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
He is a son of the late John and Elizabeth Murphy. They were born in Ireland and came to America when children. They set- tled in Wabasha county, Minnesota, in the early sixties and in Redwood county in 1881. The father died there and the mother in Cass county. Besides our subject there are two other children in the family, Tom, of Russell, and Martha O'Connell, of Mitchell, South Dakota.
William Murphy was born in Wabasha county, Minnesota, March 17, 1872. He at- tended the schools of Lake City and in 1881 accompanied his parents to Redwood county. The father homesteaded in Westline town- ship, and on that farm our subject lived until he was twenty-one years old. Then he engaged in farming on his own account for a number of years. In 1903 Mr. Murphy located in Russell and bought the Riverside Hotel. After leasing the hotel to his father- in-law two years, Mr. Murphy took charge and was the landlord two years. Since that time the hotel has been conducted by Tom Murphy. For two years our subject worked for the Farmers Elevator Company and then was with the International Harvester Com- pany until taking his present employment in the implement house. Mr. Murphy was a member of the Village Council in 1909.
Mary Jones became the wife of William Murphy at Tracy on June 8, 1897. She was born in Danville, Illinois, and is the daughter of Ex-Senator J. N. Jones, of Redwood coun- ty, now assistant state grain weigher at St. Paul. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy have three chil- dren: John, Elsie and Cleo.
RASMUS N. ANDERSON (1887), Eids- vold township farmer, has spent his entire life in Lyon county. He is a son of Nels and Mary Anderson, early settlers and still residents of Eidsvold township. He is one of a family of five children, the others being John, Carl, Edwin and Sophia.
Rasmus was born on his father's Eids- vold township farm March 7, 1887. He at- tended the district school and St. Olaf Col- lege at Northfield, being graduated from the academy in 1907. Two years after his graduation Rasmus moved on one of his father's farms, the east half of the north- east quarter of section 16, Eidsvold, and has since been engaged in its cultivation.
On December 22, 1909, Mr. Anderson was married to Nellie Kvanbeck. She is also a native of Lyon county, having been born on her father's Eidsvold township farm April 23, 1886. She is a daughter of Knute S. Kvanbeck, one of the county's early settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson have one child, Agnes Maria, born September 30, 1911.
ADOLPH TRUDEAU (1901) is in the em- ploy of R. B. Daniel, the real estate man of Marshall. He was born in Iroquois coun- ty, Illinois, November 10, 1882, and resided in Illinois until nineteen years of age. The parents of our subject are Alexander and Mary (Shortsleeve) Trudeau, the former a native of Canada and the latter of Illinois. The father immigrated to Illinois when eight years of age, was married in Iroquois county, and resided there until 1901.
In the last named year the father of our subject came to Lyon county, locating near Tracy, where he conducted a large ranch for a year. He then returned to Illinois, where he remained until 1910, when he came back to Lyon county. He has since conducted the farm of his son, Adolph, in Grandview township. To Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Tru- dean were born the following children: Adolph, of this sketch; Arthur, of Illinois; David, of Green Valley; Aldea, of Manteno, Illinois; Lida, Zephine, Oscar and Leo, who reside at home.
The man whose name heads this sketch accompanied his parents to Lyon county in 1901 and worked with his father until the following spring. Then he went to work for J. B. Regnier at farm labor and was so employed until the fall of 1902. After spend- ing a few months at his old home in Illinois, Mr. Trudeau returned to Marshall and en- tered the G. A. Dewey barber shop to finish learning the trade which he had started at St. Anne, Illinois. He worked in that shop two years and then purchased the Anderson barber shop, which he conducted two years and nine months.
After selling his barber shop he purchased, in company with his brother, David, the gro- cery and crockery business of F. L. Sar- gent. They converted the store into a gen- eral merchandise store and conducted it un- der the firm name of Trudeau Brothers. They conducted the store until September,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
1910, when they were burned out, suffering the loss of their entire stock. Our subject then entered the employ of R. B. Daniel, the real estate man of Marshall, and has since been in his employ.
Our subject owns the north half of the northeast quarter of section 28, Grandview township, and a residence in Marshall. He holds membership in the Catholic Order of Foresters and Knights of Columbus lodges.
GARRETT F. AHERN (1884) is associated with Henry Scheweyen in a general store in Taunton. The firm handles dry goods, gro- ceries, shoes and notions, and has been re- ceiving a liberal patronage.
Mr. Ahern is a Lyon county boy, having been born and brought up in Eidsvold town- ship. He first saw the light of day February 27, 1884, and is a son of Garrett and Kath- erine (Brown) Ahern, early settlers of the connty. Garrett in his early youth attended the country school in Eidsvold and at the age of eighteen entered the Minneota High School for a one year's course. Later he spent one year in Mankato attending the commercial college.
Our subject's first employment after fin- ishing school was with a railroad contract- ing firm of Chicago, where he remained one year. He next spent a year each at Good- win and South Shore, in South Dakota, in the employ of local banks. Moving to Kari- nen, South Dakota, Garrett first went into business for himself, conducting a general store two years. In September, 1911, he returned to Taunton, and in company with his present partner bought the J. F. Shimek stock of general merchandise.
Mr. Ahern is a member of the Catholic church of Minneota, and fraternally he is associated with the Knights of Columbus and the Modern Woodmen lodges.
ALMON HENRY FINCH (1904), of Rock Lake township, was born in Steele county, Minnesota, October 28, 1879, a son of Minne- sota pioneers. Alfred Wallace Finch and Helen (Ward) Finch, his father and mother, were born in Vermont and Indiana, respect- ively, settled in Steele county in 1856, and are now residents of Montevideo.
Almon attended the common schools of
Steele county until fifteen years of age and after securing his education worked on a farm two years. He then learned the but- termaker's trade, which he followed for the next ten years of his life. He learned the trade at Clinton Falls, Minnesota, and there- after worked at it in several different locali- ties. He came to Lyon county in the fall of 1904 and for one and one-half years con- ducted the creamery at Balaton. Mr. Finch then turned farmer and has since operated the southwest quarter of section 17, Rock Lake township.
Mr. Finch was married at Montevideo, Minnesota, May 28, 1902, to Emma Ewert. His wife was born in Germany April 10, 1880. They have five children: Pearl, born May 20, 1903; Maynard, born October 18, 1904; Vernon, born July 25, 1906; Laurene, born December 4, 1910. Mr. Finch is a mem- ber of the M. W. A. lodge. He served one year as road overseer.
HOWARD ADAMS (1903), proprietor of the Hotel Atlantic barber shop, came to Marshall July 20, 1903, from Luverne, Min- nesota, where he learned his trade in the barber shops of F. A. Larkin and Eugene Barck. He worked at his trade in Marshall before buying C. W. Eckes' shop in Sep- tember, 1906. Mr. Adams conducts a well appointed, three-chair tonsorial parlor and enjoys a liberal patronage.
Our subject was born in Oxford Mills, Iowa, September 25, 1881. At the age of eleven years he moved with the family to Luverne and there learned his trade in the local shops. July 1, 1908, occurred the mar- riage of Howard Adams and Louisa Oest- reich at Worthington, Minnesota. She is a native of Iowa. Mr. Adams is prominent in local fraternal orders, being a member of the Elks, Modern Woodmen, Royal Neigh- bors and Yeomen lodges.
Howard Adams is one of nine children born to S. J. Adams and Anna L. (Brinn) Adams, natives of Pennsylvania and Mis- souri, respectively. The other children are Ida, Nora, Myrlti, Bud D., Vera, Glenn and Inez. One daughter, Gertrude, is deceased.
WILLIAM E. TWOGOOD (1904) has been renting and farming the southeast quarter
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
of section 6, Clifton township, since 1907. He was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, February 2, 1854, and is a son of Charles and Juliette (Stebbins) Twogood, natives of New York State. When a child of two years William accompanied his parents to Benton county, Iowa, where the father bought land and where William grew to manhood. At the age of twenty years he commenced to farm for himself on land he had purchased, and he resided on the farm until he moved to Belle Plain, Iowa, in 1886.
In that city he conducted a livery and feed stable two years, and after selling out Mr. Twogood worked four years in a cream- ery, following that with ten years' work as a contractor in railroad construction work. In 1904 he came to Lyon county and rented land in Clifton township, and in 1907 he rented his present place. Mr. Twogood is a member of the Township Board of Super- visors, having served two years, and he has also been for three years a member of the school board of district No. 81.
The marriage of William Twogood and Mary E. Youngman took place in Tama county, Iowa. To this union have been born seven children, Myrtle, Gertrude, Judson, Nadim, Clarence, Larina and Alta. Mrs. Two- good was born near Fulton, Illinois.
Mr. Twogood is a member of the Pres- byterian church and fraternally is allied with the A. F. & A. M., Eastern Star, I. O. O. F., Rebekah, Yeomen and Iowa L. of H. lodges.
CHARLES F. BAMFORD (1887), one of the proprietors of the City Livery Barn of Marshall, was born in Lake Marshall town- ship December 2, 1887, the son of William C. and Catherine Bamford. His parents, who were natives of Wisconsin and Maryland, are deceased.
Mr. Bamford grew up on the farm on which he was born and received a district school education. He moved to Marshall early in 1911 and with his brother, William C., bought the livery barn of John Wilson. The boys are hustlers and are doing a good business.
BEN BORSON (1907) is one of the big and successful farmers of Eidsvold town- ship and an extensive feeder of cattle and
hogs. He farms all of section 4, one of the best improved farms in the precinct. Не raised 6000 bushels of corn in 1911 and has 220 acres planted in 1912. In 1910 he raised 8000 bushels of small grain.
Mr. Borson was born in Norway July 20, 1877, and came to America in 1893. He lo- cated in Iowa and for a number of years farmed in Sac county. He came to Lyon county in the fall of 1907, rented his present farm, and has since been engaged in its management.
Our subject is a son of Baard Grotta and Ingerid (Grotta) Grotta, still residents of Norway. The nine children of the family are Ben, Ingrid (Mrs. Knute Knutson), of Norway; Oluf, of Yellow Medicine county; Ole, of Lyon county; Inga (Mrs. Haas Grong), of Sioux City, Iowa; Eilert and Bertha (twins), Anna and Signe.
Mr. Borson was married in Sioux City, Iowa, January 28, 1899, to Anna Helland, who was born in Norway and who came to the United States in 1892. They have three children, Inga, Albert and Henry. Mr. and Mrs. Borson are members of the Nor- wegian Lutheran church of Minneota.
OLE BERGE (1906) is the manager of the Gund Brewing Company's beer depot at Tracy. He is a native of North Dakota and was born at Fort Abercrombie June 21, 1876. He is a son of Erick and Isabelle Berge, natives of Norway. They settled at Grand Forks in 1876. Both parents are deceased.
Our subject moved to Grand Forks when a child and grew to manhood and attended school in that city. When twenty years of age he accepted a position as traveling sales- man for the Pabst Brewing Company, with headquarters at Grand Forks. Later Mr. Berge moved to Graceville, Minnesota, and resided in several Minnesota towns until 1906, when he came from Breckenridge, Minnesota, to Tracy, where he has since lived. At the latter place he has had charge of the Gund Brewing Company's beer depot. Mr. Berge is a member of the Elks Club, No. 952, of Willmar.
The Gund beer depot is one of the oldest in Tracy, having been established there twenty-two years ago. In the spring of 1911 a large new, modern depot and offices were built. The depot has a capacity of five car
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
loads. Mr. Berge has been local manager since 1906.
EARL A. COLBY (1908) is the proprietor of a grocery store and bakery in the city of Marshall. He was born in Rockford, Win- nebago county, Illinois, July 28, 1881, and in that city he grew to manhood and re- ceived his education.
In 1904 Mr. Colby entered the government service as a railroad mail clerk and during the next three years he was on the run between Chicago and Dubuque. The next year was spent in the service between Chi- cago and Minneapolis. He resigned his po- sition in 1908 and became a resident of Marshall. At that time he bought the gro- cery and bakery business of J. R. Wolff and has since conducted it. He has doubled the business of the store and has one of the neatest stores of the kind in Lyon county.
Mr. Colby was married in Rockford, Illi- nois, June 9. 1908, to Florence G. Hollister, a native of Chicago.
Our subject is prominent in Masonic cir- cles. He holds membership in the Blue Lodge, Chapter, Commandery, Mystic Shrine and Eastern Star, all of Rockford except the Eastern Star. He is worthy patron of the last named order in Marshall. He held the office of illustrious recorder of the Mystic Shrine at Rockford and was active in the work of that lodge.
Earl A. Colby is the eldest in a family of four sons, the others being Richard L., Harry F. and Nathan D. His parents are Frank L. and Loreno O. (Drury) Colby, residents of Durand, Illinois. Both parents are natives of Wisconsin and of old Ameri- can stock.
GEORGE HOOK (1901), well-to-do farmer of Amiret township, was born in Blackhawk county, Iowa, May 5, 1876, and is a son of Eugene F. and Madeline (Stromeyer) Hook, the former of whom is deceased and the latter being a resident of Tracy.
George accompanied his parents to Lyon connty in the spring of 1901 and the family located in Monroe township, where the fa- ther purchased land. They resided there seven years. Upon the death of the father in the fall of 1908, the mother moved to Tracy, where she has since made her home.
The subject of this sketch received his early education in Iowa in attendance at the coun- try school. At the age of sixteen the boy had to give up the idea of further schooling and hired out at various kinds of labor until nineteen years old.
November 26, 1896, George Hook was mar- ried to Ella Gerholdt, a native of Blackhawk county, lowa, the wedding taking place in that state. Mrs. Hook was born April 20, 1879, and is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Gerholdt, natives of Blackhawk county. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hook, as follows: Ruth, born December 8, 1897; Bert, born May 27, 1904; Leslie, born September 25, 1907; and Hazel, born April 5, 1910.
During the first year after his marriage Mr. Hook ran a general store in Iowa. He then engaged in farming three years in the same state, and in the spring of 1901 moved to Lyon county and took up his residence on the farm he now owns and operates, the north half of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 24, Amiret township. He owns in addi- tion to that farm 240 acres in Redwood county, and he farms an additional quarter on section 12, Amiret township. Mr. Hook raises a great deal of stock for shipment.
Besides his farming interests Mr. Hook has invested in stock in the Amiret State Bank and holds shares in the Tracy Co-oper- ative Creamery Company and the Farmers Elevator Company,
JOHN ENGESSER (1909) is a compara- tively new comer to Lyon county and is the owner of a fine improved half section of land on section 9, Custer township.
Our subject's parents, Thomas and Rosa (Manch) Engesser, both natives of Ger- many, came to America when young and settled in Washington county, Wisconsin. There John was born December 26, 1864, and was brought up, receiving his education in the schools of the district and during his early teens helping his father on the farm. When John was eighteen years of age the family moved to Blackhawk county, Iowa, and farmed rented land one year, afterward going to Kossuth county and buying a quar- ter section, where they made their home, later increasing their land holdings to 360 acres.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
When John was twenty-six years of age he was given 120 acres of land by his father, left the home place, and commenced farm- ing for himself. He remained on his Kos- suth county farm until 1899, when he sold and moved to Texas, buying a section there and farming nine years. He sold his Texas property and returned to Kossuth county, where he rented one year before coming to Lyon county and buying the south half of section 9, Custer. Mr. Engesser has a splen- did farm and raises Duroc-Jersey hogs and Hereford cattle in addition to his other farm work.
The ceremony which made John Engesser and Kate Klein husband and wife was per- formed March 31, 1891, in Kossuth county, Iowa. Mrs. Engesser was born in that coun- ty February 14, 1873, and is a daughter of William and Cathrine (Bear) Klein, both natives of Germany. Eleven children have been born to John Engesser and wife: Peter W., born February 18, 1892; Clotilda R., born April 13, 1894; Martha A., born January 6, 1896; Bertha M., born June 12, 1898; Thomas A., born December 31, 1899; Pearl R., born March 20, 1902; Mary A., born December 25, 1903; William J., born September 12, 1907; Francis M., born October 20, 1908; John H., born March 8, 1910; and Margarette L., born Angust 17, 1911.
The Engessers are members of the Cath- olic church. Mr. Engesser is treasurer of school district No. 85.
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HARRY E. CALEY (1879), manager of the Mutual Elevator Company of Marshall, has resided in Lyon county since he was a child. He was born in Dover township, Racine county, Wisconsin, August 11, 1876, the son of Charlie and Mercia (Cady) Caley. The father died in 1910; the mother makes her home with a daughter, Mrs. Frank W. Case. There are four other children in the family, namely: Delano, George, Lottie and Edith Joyce.
When a child Harry E. Caley came to Lyon county with his parents. Until he was eighteen years of age he lived on his father's farm in Sodus township, attending the dis- trict school and assisting with the farm work. He moved to Marshall from the farm and completed his education in the Marshall High School. For several years thereafter
he was employed in various capacities. For one year he was conductor of a Seventh Street car in St. Paul, and for two years he was with the dining car department of the Northern Pacific on the run between St. Paul and Portland. He returned to Mar- shall and for two years clerked in his fa- ther's grocery store.
In 1909 Mr. Caley took the position with the Mutual Elevator Company and has since been the manager of that business. The elevator is the largest one in the city and has a capacity of 45,000 bushels. It was built by the Marfield Tearse Company fifteen or more years ago and was bought in 1907 by E. I. Leland, since which time the business has been carried on under the name of Mu- tual Elevator Company.
Mr. Caley was married August 12, 1908. to Lucy Jones, a native of Redwood county, Minnesota, and a daughter of Senator John N. Jones. Mr. and Mrs. Caley have a son, Robert Jenkins. Our subject is a member of the M. W. A. lodge.
WILLIAM D. WILLARD (1899) is the owner of the northeast quarter of section 17, Sodus township. He was born in Marion, Iowa, May 14, 1866, a son of Porter and Cynthia (Holcomb) Willard, the former a native of Pennsylvania and the latter of New York. They came to Iowa in an early day and the father followed the stone-mason and brick-layer's trades and later farmed. William resided at home until twenty-one years of age, after which he worked out and farmed for himself. He later worked three years in a cheese factory. In 1898 he moved to Redwood county, Minnesota, where he farmed one year.
In 1899 our subject came to Lyon county and rented the southeast quarter of section 20, Sodus township, which he still operates. He owns the northeast quarter of section 17, Sodus, having bought eighty acres in 1907 and eighty in 1910.
Mr. Willard was married at Anamosa, Iowa, December 29, 1897, to Clara Cockell, a native of Jones county, Iowa. She was born December 20, 1874, and is a daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Leggett) Cockell. the former a native of England and the latter of New York. The father died in 1874; the mother lives in Jones county. Mr.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and Mrs. Willard are the parents of four children: Porter F., born September 1, 1899; Vernon W., born October 22, 1901; Joseph L., born February 16, 1903; Eva L., born January 10, 1906.
WILLIAM L. LUCAS (1911) is a farmer living near Balaton. He rents and farms the south half of the southwest quarter of sec- tion 21, Rock Lake, owned by Mrs. Henry Johnson.
Mr. Lucas was born in Peoria county, Illi- nois, September 12, 1873. His father is no longer living, and his mother, Catherine (Schenck) Lucas, is a resident of Knox- ville, Illinois. The parents were early set- tlers of Illinois. William received his early education in Illinois in the country school, and at the age of twenty took up his share of the farm work with his father, remaining at home the next three years. He then engaged in farming for himself in Illinois four years. Just prior to coming to Lyon county Mr. Lucas was engaged for several months as conductor on the street car lines in Galesburg, Illinois.
In Knoxville, Illinois, William Lucas was married to Mertie A. Barr, a native of Ohio, the wedding occurring September 25, 1907. Mrs. Lucas was born August 25, 1876. Mr. and Mrs. Lucas are the parents of Ro- salia May, born January 20, 1909, and Bertha Helen, born April 30, 1911.
BIRNEY L. CHENEY (1904) is manager of the elevator of G. W. VanDusen & Com- pany at Marshall. He is a native of Hills- dale county, Michigan, and was born Decem- ber 16, 1875. At the age of nine years he moved with his parents to Gratiot county, of the same state, and until he was eighteen years of age resided on the farm. He re- ceived a common school education and for fourteen years engaged in teaching, during that time taking a course at the Michigan State Normal School and a business course at Yerrington College, St. Louis, Michigan.
Mr. Cheney came to Lyon county in Au- gust, 1904, and during the fall months he engaged in threshing. He taught school in his old Michigan home the next winter and the following fall located permanently in Marshall. In October, 1905, he took the
position of engineer with the Union Heating Plant Company, an enterprise founded by eight business men of the town to furnish heat for several business houses on the east side of Main Street. Mr. Cheney was so em- ployed two years. In June, 1907, he took a position with the Marshall News-Messen- ger and worked at the printer's trade two years, being obliged then to give up the work on account of defective eyesight.
On October 26, 1909, Mr. Cheney took the position of manager of the VanDusen ele- vator and has been so employed since. The elevator, which has a capacity of 25,000 bushels, is owned by Minneapolis people. George VanDusen is president of the com- pany and F. O. Yates is secretary.
Our subject is the son of Byron E. and Lydia A. (Bird) Cheney, natives, respective- ly, of New York State and Hillsdale county, Michigan. The mother died July 4, 1907; the father lives in Gratiot county, Michigan. There are six children in the family, as fol- lows: Birney L., Nellie I., Reuben B., Marion P., Amy J. and Ray. Mr. Cheney is a mem- ber of the Modern Woodmen lodge and of the Marshall Fire Department.
Mr. Cheney was married at Ithica, Michi- gan, May 22, 1907, to Mary A. Crozier, a native of Gratiot county, Michigan.
OTTO WAHLQUIST (1900) just recently located on his present farm, the northeast quarter of section 9, Custer township, but has been a resident of the township during the past five years.
Coming to America at the age of seven- teen, our subject located in Chicago, where he worked four years in the E. A. Hartwald planing mills. His next home was in Kos- suth county, Iowa, and Otto engaged in farm labor the next five years, leaving Iowa to come to Minnesota. He and L. Larson bought 240 acres of land in Sodus town- ship, Lyon county, and farmed the place in partnership two years. Selling his interest, Otto bought a quarter section near Marshall, rented the farm two years to H. O. Robbins, and then sold it. He resided in Marshall four years and conducted the Enterprise wood and feed yard.
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