USA > Minnesota > Lyon County > An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota > Part 93
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98
It was after our subject had sold his farm near Marshall that he first located in Custer township, renting and farming 240 acres on
582
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
section 3 the following five years. During that time he purchased the quarter on sec- tion 9 and a year later moved to the place where he now resides, which is a well im- proved farm.
Otto Wahlquist and Mary Ford were mar- ried in Sodus township April 23, 1902. Mrs. Wahlquist was born in that township October 26, 1876, and her parents, Henry and Mar- garet Ford, are living in Sodus. Two chil- dren, Pearl and June, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Otto Wahlquist. The parents are members of the Presbyterian church.
The subject of our sketch was born in Sweden June 28, 1874, and was brought up and educated in that country. His parents, Erick and Annie (Olson) Erickson, both died when Otto was a child.
THOMAS CLAUSEN (1907) is a black- smith of the village of Balaton. He was born in Germany January 28, 1888, and came to the United States in 1907. He located in Balaton at that time, purchased the Nord blacksmith shop, and has conducted it since. He engages in general blacksmithing.
Our subject's father, Thomas Clausen, died in Germany in 1908. After that event Mr. Clausen furnished funds and brought the family to America. The mother, Katrina Clausen, resides with her son, Fred Clausen, in Rock Lake township. The other members of the family are Christ, a blacksmith at Russell; Anna (Mrs. Hans Mork), of Rus- sell; Sophia (Mrs. R. W. Nelson), of this county. The subject of this review is a mem- ber of the Yeomen lodge.
Mr. Clausen was married in Balaton Oc- tober 28, 1910, to Johanna Mark, a native of Denmark who came to the. United States in 1909.
FORBES CLENDENNING (1884) sells Texas land and is at present connected with the George Schain Land Company of Tracy. His home is at Marshall.
Born at Ragland, Ontario, Canada, May 24, 1880, Forbes at the age of four years came with his parents to Lyon county, and the family located on a farm.
When Forbes was fourteen the family moved to Marshall and there the young man grew up and attended school, taking his last
year of high school work in Lake Benton. After his schooling was finished he clerked in a Lake Benton grocery store one year and then worked for his uncle, Samuel J. Forbes, in Marshall one year. Following this term of service our subject clerked for several years and was finally appointed the first rural mail carrier out of Marshall, holding that commission about three years and re- signing to take a homestead in South Da- kota, near Bowbells, in Ward county. After proving up, Mr. Clendenning returned to Marshall and was employed by attorney Thomas E. Davis, collecting and writing in- surance. Prior to engaging in the land busi- ness in the spring of 1912, our subject had. been again for several years clerking in stores.
Forbes Clendenning is a son of Isaac and Elenor (Forbes) Clendenning, natives of Canada and of Scotch-Irish descent. They reside in Marshall and have six children living: Maggie, Forbes, Mary (Mrs. Harry Chatman), Walter, Harry and Joseph.
VICTOR SOMMER (1910) is a farmer of Stanley township and owns the southwest quarter of section 34. He has lived in the county only two years, although he has owned his property for a much longer time.
In the province of Mecklenburg, Germany, on the seventeenth day of April, 1857, Victor Sommer was born, the son of Jacob and Mary (Eppke) Sommer. He spent his boy- hood days attending school in his native country and at the age of twelve years, in 1869, came to America with his parents. Un- til he reached his majority Mr. Sommer lived with his parents in Cook county, Illinois, and worked as a farm hand. He then took up stationary engineering, which he followed until moving to Lyon county in 1910.
When a young man Mr. Sommer struggled against great odds and was the sole support of his father and mother. By industry and hard work he has prospered and is in good circumstances. Ten years ago, while living in Gilberts, Illinois, Mr. Sommer purchased his Lyon county farm, and in the fall of 1910 he located on the place and engaged in farming. He engages in stock raising quite extensively.
Mr. Sommer was married in Cook county, Illinois, on November 2, 1879, to Dora Lau-
583
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ing, a native of the county in which she was married. She was born March 27, 1862. Mr. and Mrs. Sommer have the following chil- dren: Lillie, born December 4, 1881; Robert and Minnie (twins), born January 25, 1883; Mary, born August 10, 1884; Sophia, born April 14, 1886; Victor J., born September 10, 1888; Emma, born December 27, 1892, died April 2, 1912; Dora, born November 12, 1894; Laura, born July 12, 1897. The family are members of the German Lutheran church of Marshall.
MARVIN PETERSON (1911) is the junior member of the firm of Peterson Brothers, of Garvin, dealers in dry goods, groceries, shoes, notions and crockery. He is a native of Murray county and was born in Lake Sarah township February 28, 1889, a son of Godfrey and Anna (Olson) Peterson, who now reside in Murray county.
Marvin received his early education in the public schools of Slayton and Tracy and later attended Humboldt College, of Hum- boldt, Iowa. He was graduated from the commercial department of the latter insti- tution in 1908, after which he engaged in farming with a brother in Murray county. Mr. Peterson continued his agricultural pur- suits until January, 1909, at which time he engaged as a drug clerk at Crosby, North Dakota, for a short time. He was later en- gaged as assistant cashier of the Security State Bank of Crosby, North Dakota, until January 1, 1911, when, in company with his brother, Clarence Peterson, he engaged in the general merchandise business at Garvin. They have enjoyed a very prosperous trade in their late venture, carrying, as they do, a stock valued at between six and seven thousand dollars.
Mr. Peterson is a member of the Norwe- gian Lutheran church. He is a stockholder of the Farmers State Bank of Garvin and in the company which publishes the Garvin Leader.
On September 22, 1911, occurred the mar- riage of Mr. Peterson to Ida Stageberg, a native of Lac qui Parle county, Minnesota. She was born March 29, 1891.
JULIUS ZABEL (1906) is the proprie- tor of a well-improved farm, the east half
of the southeast quarter of section 17, in Custer township. He is a native of Ger- many, the son of Fred and Elizabeth (Zasch) Zabel, and was born in West Prusen January 31, 1868. His father died in Germany and his mother is still living at the age of seventy-two years.
The first twenty-one years of our sub- ject's life were spent in his native land, during which time he was educated and spent several years helping his father. In 1889 Julius and a sister came to the United States and located in O'Brien coun- ty, Iowa. There Mr. Zabel worked two years on the railroad and several years on a farm as a hired hand. He then rented land and farmed for himself several years, later moving to Grant county, Minnesota, where he also rented land. In 1906 Mr. Zabel came to Lyon county and bought the land which he has since farmed.
Our subject was married in O'Brien county, Iowa, May 22, 1896, to Augusta Dahlke, who was born in Germany May 19, 1874. Mrs. Zabel is a daughter of Christ and Augusta (Goltz) Dahlke, of Custer township. She and her husband are members of the German Lutheran church. Their children are Walter, born March 25, 1897; Martha, born July 29, 1900; Agnus, born September 15, 1904; and Bernhart, born July 7, 1906.
HANS P. SANDEN (1872) is a resident of Florence, near which place he has farmed for a great many years, having been a resident of Lyon county forty years. He was born in Opdahl, Trondhjem, Nor- way, October 30, 1852, a son of Peter A. and Karen (Sanden) Torseth. Hans grew to manhood and received his early educa- tion in Norway, where he resided until eighteen years of age. In 1871 he came to America and located at Fountain, Fill- more county, Minnesota. He worked on the railroad then being built between St. James and LeMars, Iowa, and later the railroad near Mankato.
In the fall of 1872 our subject came to Lyon county and took as a homestead the northwest quarter of section 20, Shel- burne township, which he made his home continuously until a few years ago. In 1888 the Great Northern railroad was built
.
584
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and he sold the north half of his home- stead to the railroad company for a town- site and that is where the present village of Florence is located. Later Mr. Sanden purchased his father's homestead, the northeast quarter of section 20 and the south half of the northwest quarter of sec- tion 21, making him the owner of 320 acres of fine land in Shelburne township. The first three years our subject was in the county the crops were a complete fail- ure on account of the grasshoppers, but the fourth year was a good one. During Mr. Sanden's first winter here provisions had to be hauled from New Ulm, a trip which required three weeks' time to make with oxen, which was all they had at that time. Two years ago our subject's wife died and he has made his home in Flor- ence since that time.
Mr. Sanden is a member of the Norwe- gian Lutheran church. He is a stock- holder and a director of the State Bank of Florence and is treasurer of school dis- trict No. 78. He has served eleven years as assessor of the township, having served as its first assessor, and has been on the Township Board of Supervisors. He served as chairman of the board two years. He is a member of the M. W. A. and A. O. U. IV. lodges.
The subject of this review was married in Shelburne township August 18, 1883, to Mary Lein, a native of Faribault county, Minnesota. She was born April 11, 1863, and was a daughter of Bent and Johannah Lein, natives of Norway. Mrs. Sanden died October 30, 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Sanden were the parents of the following named children: Petra, born June 4, 1884; Hannah A., born June 21, 1888; Carl B., born November 21, 1891; Burt C., born July 5, 1898.
HENRY H. BENSON (1884) is the ef- ficient assistant cashier of the State Bank of Florence. He is a native of Lyon coun- ty and was born in Shelburne township September 17, 1884, the son of Hans and Christina (Christianson) Benson, who came from Norway to Lyon county in the early seventies and settled in Shelburne township, where they still reside.
The father assisted in building the rail-
road west from Tracy through the county. He purchased land at different times until now he is the owner of 560 acres of fine land in the township in which he has re- sided so long. They are the parents of the following named nine children: Lottie (Mrs. John Anderson), of Tyler, Minne- sota; Bert and Adolph, who reside on the home farm; Ragna (Mrs. A. B. Anderson), of Florence; Henry H., of this sketch; Hulda, who died when three years of age; Clara, Lena, Emma and Elmer, who reside with their parents.
Henry Benson resided at home until twenty-three years of age, attending school and assisting in the work on the farm. After finishing a common school education, he went to the Sioux Falls Business Col- lege for two terms. In February, 1910, he entered the employ of the State Bank of Florence as bookkeeper and continued in that capacity until January, 1911, when he was promoted to the position of assist- ant cashier. He is also a stockholder in the bank. Mr. Benson is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and of the Masonic and Modern Woodmen lodges.
OLIVER A. KILLIUS (1903). One of the most prosperous farmers of Lyon coun- ty is Oliver A. Killius, the proprietor of Star Farm on section 17, Sodus township. He has lived in the county nine years, has been successful in his farming operations, and is rated among the substantial men of his precinct.
Mr. Killius is a native of Mason county, Illinois, and was born July 12, 1878. His father, George Killius, was born in Ger- many November 28, 1848, came to Amer- ica at the age of two years, was brought up in Mason county, Illinois, lived for many years in Nebraska, later in Iowa, and is now a resident of Sodus township. The mother of our subject is Catherine (Arnold) Killius. She was born in West Virginia March 22, 1848, and was married in Mason county, Illinois.
When Oliver was three years of age he accompanied his parents to Fillmore coun- ty, Nebraska. There he received his schooling and spent his boyhood days, mov- ing with the family at the age of seven- teen to Franklin county, Iowa. He lived
HANS P. SANDEN
For Forty Years a Resident of Shelburne Township.
HENRY H. BENSON Assistant Cashier of the State Bank of Florence.
MR. AND MRS. OLIVER A. KILLIUS Proprietors of Star Farm, Sodus Township.
F. T. SHAEFFER Cashier of the Amiret State Bank.
585
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
in that Iowa county until his removal to Lyon county.
In the fall of 1902 Mr. Killius came to Lyon county and purchased the northwest quarter of section 17, Sodus township. The following spring he and his wife moved to their new home, which has ever since been their place of residence. At the time of purchase the place was wild, unimproved land-far different from the well-improved farm of the present day. Mr. Killius has made all the improvements and justly takes pride in his achievements, for he has one of the fine farm homes of the county.
Mr. Killius raises considerable stock, in- cluding thoroughbred Duroc-Jersey hogs. In the raising of swine he has gained a wide reputation, and shippers declare that Mr. Killius' hogs are the finest turned in at the local market. He turns from fifty to seventy-five head per year. Mrs. Killius is a chicken fancier and takes great pride in her birds, raising about 400 full-blooded Black Langshangs each year.
Ella McKinnon became the wife of Mr. Killius in Dixon, Missouri, on May 8, 1902. She was born March 26, 1881, and is the daughter of Ning and Mary (Null) Mc- Kinnon, natives of Missouri and descend- ants of pioneer settlers of that state. Mr. and Mrs. Killius have no children. They are members of Easter Presbyterian Church of Sodus township.
ALVIN E. WEIDAUER (1901) a farmer and land owner of Lake Marshall township and has lived in Lyon county for several years. He is a native of Saxony, Germany, and was born March 16, 1873. He came to America with his parents in 1881, locating at Philo, Illinois. There they resided for thirteen years and Alvin attended school. In 1894 Alvin moved to Calhoun county, Iowa, where the family had moved two years previous.
Our subject spent two years in Calhoun county and then went to Chester, Nebras- ka, where he resided six months, working out. He then took a trip through Kansas, Oklahoma, Indian Territory and Texas, re- turning to his home in November. In the spring of 1897 Mr. Weidauer rented the home place of his father for one year.
He also operated a threshing machine for several years. He then rented land in Po- cahontas county for three years.
In the spring of 1901 Mr. Weidauer came to Lyon county and in February of that year he purchased one hundred sixty acres of section 19, Lake Marshall town- ship, where he has since resided, with the exception of a year spent in Iowa. Our subject raises Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. He is a shareholder of the Farmers Elevator Company of Marshall. He has membership in the German Evan- gelical church and the Modern Woodmen lodge. In partnership with his brother Herman, Mr. Weidauer engages in the threshing business.
At Marshall, on February 8, 1904, Mr. Weidauer was united in marriage to Ida Coon, a daughter of Charles and Frederica (Hass) Coon, natives of Germany. To this union have been born the following four children: Orvel L., born December 19, 1904; Edward W., born October 30, 1906; Dora E., born April 4, 1908; Mabel E., born December 2, 1910.
F. T. SHAEFFER (1899) is the cashier of the Amiret State Bank. He is a native of Ames, Iowa, where he was born June 14, 1875, a son of William and Mary (Hanson) Shaeffer, the former a native of Indiana and the latter of Sweden. They were early settlers of Boone county, Iowa. The father died in March, 1909, aged fifty- eight years; the mother resides at Burt, Iowa. They were the parents of the fol- lowing children: John A., of Clear Lake, Iowa; F. T., of this sketch; Henry W., of Dolliver, Iowa; Annie (Mrs. Dr. D. W. Pratt), of Burt, Iowa; Maud (Mrs. Will Fish), of Iroquois, South Dakota; Ralph, of Lewistown, Montana; and William, of Minot, North Dakota.
In 1882 F. T. Shaeffer accompanied his parents to Burt, Iowa, where he grew to manhood and where he was graudated from the high school. In 1898 he went to Revere, Minnesota, where he was employed one year by the Standard Lumber Com- pany. On January 1, 1899, Mr. Shaeffer came to Lyon county and located at Ami- ret, where he has since resided, having been the local manager of the Standard
586
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Lumber Company since that date. He is one of the organizers and stockholders of the Amiret State Bank and has been its cashier since the bank opened its doors. Mr. Shaeffer is a member of the Masonic, Modern Woodmen and Yeomen lodges and is township clerk.
The Amiret State Bank, of which our subject is cashier, was established October 1, 1910, by a number of the business men and farmers of Amiret and vicinity and was capitalized for $10,000. It has enjoyed a prosperous business. The officers and di- rectors are: President, Lester J. Fitch; vice president, R. A. Mitchell; cashier F. T. Shaeffer; Solomon Greeley and C. S. Row- ell. Mrs. F. T. Shaeffer is assistant cash- ier. The bank building was erected by the institution. The bank does a general banking, insurance, real estate and farm loan business.
Mr. Shaeffer was married in Amiret Oc- tober 4, 1900, to Agnes Mclaughlin, a na- tive of Steele county, Minnesota. She is a daughter of David Mclaughlin, of Ami- ret. Mr. and Mrs. Shaeffer have one child, Floyd.
ALBERT B. DANE (1895) is the ef- ficient clerk for F. M. Healy & Son, of Marshall. He is a native of the Gopher State and was born at Janesville, Waseca county, Minnesota, February 9, 1876. He grew to manhood there and was graduated from the high school of that place in 1893. Thereafter he clerked in stores at Janes- ville eighteen months.
In November, 1895, our subject came to Lyon county and worked as a baker's apprentice for H. E. Barnum, working also for the same gentleman later at Tracy and Kasota Junction. He returned to Marshall and was in the employ of George Rose, who succeeded Mr. Barnum in the bakery business, and later he returned to Janesville, where he worked a year. Re- turning to Marshall, he entered the employ of F. M. Healy, for whom he worked two years. In March, 1900, Mr. Dane returned to Janesville and engaged in the confec- tionery and restaurant business for him- self, continuing until November 5, 1910. He then came back to Marshall and has since been in the employ of F. M. Healy
& Son, as clerk. Mr. Dane is a member of the Masonic, Modern Woodmen and Ancient Order of United Workmen lodges.
On July 10, 1901, at Marshall, occurred the marriage of our subject to Blanch Goodwin, a daughter of Joshua Goodwin, one of the early settlers of Lyon county. Mr. and Mrs. Dane are the parents of one child, Dorothy Zadia.
ADOLPH T. ANDERSON (1886) has spent the entire twenty-six years of his life in Nordland township. He is the son of pioneer settlers and homesteaders, Lewis and Stena Ellefson. His father was born in Norway, his mother in Wisconsin. They came to Lyon county in the seventies and took a homestead, later buying the south- east quarter of section 33, Nordland.
On that farm, on November 24, 1886, Adolph Anderson was born, and there he has ever since had his home. He received a district school education and worked for his father until 1909. Then he rented the farm and has since conducted it to his own account.
Mr. Anderson was married in Minneota to Rena 'Skogen. She is also a native of the county and is a daughter of Halvor O. and Christie Skogen, of Nordland town- ship. Lila and Harvey are Mr. and Mrs. Anderson's children.
JOHN HOLDEN, JR. (1901) is the manager of the Hayes-Lucas Lumber Com- pany's yard at Garvin. Although he has been an actual resident of Lyon county less than a dozen years, he was born just over the county line in Murray county and has practically spent his life here. He is one of the progressive young business men of the little city in which he lives.
Lake Sarah. township, Murray county, is the birthplace of Mr. Holden and Sep- tember 30, 1879, was the date of his birth. He received a common school edu- cation and remained on his father's farm until twenty years of age. Then he took a course in the Sioux Falls Business Col- lege and in 1900 located at Beresford, South Dakota, where for one year he was in the employ of the F. M. Slagle Lumber Company. He spent one year working for
587
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
the Hayes-Lucas Lumber Company at Marshall, and in the summer of 1902 he was given the management of the yards at Garvin, where he has since lived.
Mr. Holden is interested in several local enterprises. He is a stockholder of the Farmers State Bank of Garvin, secretary of the Farmers Elevator Company, and was one of the promoters of the Garvin Telephone Company and its first president. He is the clerk of Custer township and has held the position for four or five years. Mr. Holden is a thirty-second degree Ma- son, holding membership in the Blue Lodge at Tracy and in the Scottish Rite at Wi- nona. He is also a member of the Mod- ern Woodmen lodge.
Maud Edwards, a native of Lyon county and a daughter of Ed. Edwards, became the wife of Mr. Holden at Garvin on De- cember 16, 1903. They have three chil- dren, Maurice, Mildred and Maxson.
Our subject is a son of John J. and Karen (Peterson) Holden. They were born in Norway, came to America early in life, and were married at Madison, Wisconsin. After their marriage they moved to Dodge county, Minnesota, and in 1876 to Lake Sarah township, Murray county, where they homesteaded and where they still live. They have seven children: Sophia, Julius, Carl, Lottie, Annie, John and Matilda.
GUSTAV RADKE (1908) bought the north half of the northeast quarter of sec -- tion 36, Amiret township, from his father in the fall of 1911, and has since been farming the place. He has built on the farm and has a modern and well-improved place in every respect.
Gustav is the fourth in age of a family of seven children born to Julius and Jo- hannah (Shultz) Radke, natives of Ger- many. He was born in Germany August 25, 1878, and when five years old he ac- companied the family to America. They located in Lincoln, Nebraska, and the elder Radke worked out at farm labor two years and then moved to Wood Lake, Ne- braska. There Gustav received his edu- cation and grew to young manhood.
In 1896 the subject of this sketch went to Hancock county, Iowa, where he worked
on a farm until 1908, in which year he came to Lyon county. His parents had preceded him several years, and after moving to the county Gustav worked for his father and also ran a threshing rig in the falls. In 1911 he bought eighty acres from his father and has since been farming for himself.
ANTON MACK (1910) was until re- cently the proprietor of a pool hall in Tracy. He is a native of Iowa and was born at Dubuque May 8, 1882. The par- ents of our subject are John and Marga- retta (Kreck) Mack, natives of Germany. They came to America about thirty-five years ago and located at Dubuque. The father died at Bancroft, Iowa; the mother resides in Minneapolis. They were the parents of eight children: John, Sebas- tian, Maggie, Lizzie, George, Anton, Louis and Frank.
Anton learned the carpenter's trade at Doland, South Dakota, and later engaged in contracting at Fort Pierre and Miller, South Dakota. In 1910 our subject came to Lyon county, buying the Sam A. Pittin- ger pool hall at Tracy, which he con- ducted until May, 1912. At that time he sold his interests in Tracy and moved to Sauk Center, Minnesota, where he is now engaged in the real estate business.
Mr. Mack was married at Bancroft, Iowa, August 28, 1906, to Julia Higgins. They are the parents of one child, Arthur Murl.
EMIL DAHLKE (1908), who rents the northeast quarter of section 28, Custer township, was born in Germany April 22, 1872, and until the age of seventeen lived in his native land, receiving an education in the common schools.
He accompanied his parents, Christ and Vasta (Goltz) Dahlke, to America in 1889. The family settled in O'Brien county, Iowa, where they rented land and farmed ten years, Emil assisting his father. The young man then set out for himself, mov- ing to Minnesota and locating in Trav- erse county, where he rented land and farmed seven years. In 1908 he came to Lyon county and rented the farm in Cus-
-
588
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ter which he now conducts. He raises Duroc-Jersey and Poland China hogs.
While living in Traverse county Emil Dahlke was married to Christina Bowers, the wedding occurring March 3, 1903. His wife was born in Germany April 1, 1883, and is a daughter of Christ and Christina (Vollmer) Bowers. The follow- ing children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Dahlke: Carl, born March 1, 1904; Elsa, born October 12, 1906; Mary, born December 24, 1908; Emil, born January 13, 1910; and Willie, born December 9, 1911.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.