USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 52
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To these parents was born Arthur S. Firth at Whitewater, Wis., on September 10, 1866. He removed to Nobles county with his parents when a child five years old, and here he grew to manhood and has since re- sided. He secured his education in the dis- trict schools of Lorain township and in the public schools of Worthington.
Mr. Firth was married at St. Charles, Minn., Nov. 18, 1898, to Lizzie Scofield, who was born at Utica, N. Y. To them one child has been born, Milton R., born on the farm June 6, 1899.
Mr. Firth is the next youngest of a family of five living children. They, with the dates of their birth, are as follows: Robert A., born Jan. 28, 1854; William L., born Oct. 18, 1859; Joseph S., born April 16, 1863; Artbur S., born Sept. 10, 1866; Emily F., born Sept. 10. 1879. One brother, Iliram, died at the age of two and one-half years.
LUDWIG VON HOLTUM, of St. Kilian, is one of the large land owners and suc-
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cessful farmers of Willmont township. He
owns 920 acres of land in Willmont and larkin town-hips, all within a short dis- tance of his home in St. Kilian.
Mr. Von Holtum was born in Rhineland, Germany, April 2, 1852. He was the young- est member of a family of eight children, of whom four are now living, all except himself in Germany. llis parents were John and Theresa ( Radmacher) Von Holtum, both of whom died in Germany at advanced ages. The Father was born in 1788 and died in 1873; the mother was born in 1806 and died in 1894.
Emigrating to America in July, 1882, Mr. Von Tloltum came direet to Nobles county. .lle hought the southeast quarter of section 32, Willmont township, then prairie land, and built his home there and engaged in farming. He met with prosperity and grad- rally became the owner of other real es- tate until he has become one of the county's large land owners. Ile resided on the home farm, which he handsomely improved, until October, 1899, when he moved to St. Kilian. lu that little inland village he has since re- sided, conducting his farming operations from that point.
In Adrian on Jan. 13. 1885, Mr. Von Holtum was united in marriage to Amelia Moser, daughter of Joseph Moser, of Will- mont township. She was born in Washing- ion county, Wis., in March, 1864. To them have been born the following children: Theresa. born Dee. 18, 1885; Ludwig. born Nov. 23, 1887; Mary, born Feb. 9, 189]; Johnnie, born Dee. 11, 1893; Henry, born March 19, 1896; ltelena, born Der. 9, 1898; Edmund, born Dec. 30, 1001. Mr. and Mrs. Von Iloltum are members of the Catholic church.
ANTON NELSON, a retired farmer living at Kinbrae, is one of the pioneer settlers of Nobles county, having been a resident of Graham Lakes township since 1871.
Mr. Nelson was born in Sweden Oct. 4, 1832, and that was his home until he was 17 years of age. At the early age of 12 years he began working in a dlouring mill, learned the trade, and followed that neen- pation until his arrival in Nobles county. From Sweden he went to Denmark, where he worked at his trade several years, and
then to Germany, where he was for several years. In 1860 he came to the United States and located in Jefferson county, Wis., where he was in the milling business until 1$71. In the Fall of that year he drove from his Wisconsin home to the Graham Lakes country, of Nobles county, bought a home- stead claim of B. W. Woolstencroft on sec- tion 26, proved up on it, and continuously resided there until 1903. lle then moved to the village of Kinbrae, where he has since lived a retired life.
WILLIAM TENTLER, real estate dealer and mayor of Lismore, is an old settler of northwestern Nobles county, where he has lived since the spring of 1885. lle is a na- tive of Cleveland, Ohio, where he was born Dee. 27, 1860, the youngest of a family of three children. The other members of the family are Mary and Bertha, of whom the Former lives in Solon, Iowa, the latter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
William lived in his native city until past fifteen years of age, and then moved to Johnson county, Iowa. He enmpleted his education in the schools of Salon. in John- son county, and for eight years worked on the farm in that county. He then moved lo Grundy county, Iowa, where he lived one year. He arrived in Nobles county in April. ISSố. and Incated in Leota township, where for seventeen years he lived and engaged in farming, having purchased the west half of section 16 (school land) -real estate which he still owns.
In 1902 Mr. Tentler and Mark Graves bought From the railroad company the Lis- more townsite, and the following year he moved in the village. Since then he has lived in the village and has been engaged in the real estate business, handling Canada land and city property in Winnipeg.
Mr. Tentler has always taken an active part in the public affairs of the community in which he has lived. While living in L.cota township he served on the township board several years, was assessor two years. and a member of the school board several terms. In Lismore village he served as councilman during the years 190t-05-06, and siner then has been the city's mayor. Ile is also clerk of the Lismore school board.
In Adrian on March 19, 1890, Mr. Tentler
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was married to Miss Louise Ladehoff, who was born in Wisconsin Feb. 15, 1870. Her parents were Hans and Margaret Ladehoff, natives of Germany. Both parents came to the United States when young and Mr. Ladehot located first in Davenport, lowa. Later he moved to Wisconsin, where be was married. The family came to Westside township, in Nobles connty, in the early seventies and took a hometsad, and there made their home many years. Mr. Ladehoff died in Brown's Valley, Minn., in Decem- ber, 1907; Mrs. Ladehoff died in Westside township in February, 1896. Of this fam- ily Mrs. Tentler was the next to the young- est. The other children are: Edward, who died in 1898; Henry. who lives in Alaska; John, of Brown's Valley, Minn .; Jennie, who lives in the Black Hills; Emma, of Brown's Valley : Tressie, of Edgerton; Minnie, of California.
Mr. and Mrs. Tentler are the parents of the following named children: Elfie, born May 12, 1891; William, born March 12, 1894; Edward, born Nov. 9, 1896; Minnie, born Dec. 28, 1897.
JOHN A. BRATSBERG, member of the Ellsworth firm of Crowley & Bratsberg and of the Ellsworth Produce company, has been a resident of Nobles county ten years. He was born in Allamakee county, Iowa. Feh. 4. 1868, the son of John A. and Ingeborg (Bratsberg) Bratsberg. The father of our subject was born in Trondhjem, Norway, came to the United States in 1865, and lo- cated in Michigan. lle later took np his residence in Iowa, and died in that state in 1895, aged 64 years. Our subject's mother, who was also a native of Norway, is still living at Lester, Iowa, and is 72 years of age.
Mr. Brat berg of this sketeh lived in his native county only one year when the fam- ily home was made at McGregor, Iowa, and in that village he lived until 14 years of age. There he attended the common and high schools. and later he completed his edu- cation with a course of study at Valder's Business college, of Decorah, Iowa. Return- ing to his native county when fourteen years old. he resided there five years and then went to Woonsocket, S. D., where for seven years he was employed as clerk in a store.
lle came to Nobles county in January, 1898. and was one of the organizers of the firm of Scholtes, Crowley & Bratsberg, which was succeeded in 1906 by the firm of Crow- ley & Bratsberg. lle has been one of the active owners of the "Big Store" ever since he came to Ellsworth.
At Volney, Fowa, on Feb. 4, 1892, Mr. Bratsberg was married to Miss Myrtle Ent- wisle, daughter of Caleb and Margaret Ent- wisle. To them have been born two child- ren-Mercedes, born in Woonsocket Nov. 22, 1892; and Vivienne, born in Woonsocket Jan. 7, 1895. Mr. Bratsberg is a member of the Ellsworth board of education and is at present serving as treasurer.
J. FRANK GREEN is a Worthington township farmer who has lived in the eoun- ty thirty years, during all of which time he has been engaged in farming. He came to the county in 1878 with his parents from Mishamokwa, Wis., at which plaee he was born Nov. 1, 1857, and where he had lived up to the time of his advent to Nobles county. He is a son of J. B. Green, who re- sides in Worthington. His mother was Julia Ann (Letteer) Green, a native of New York state; she died in 1895.
The early days of J. F. Green were spent on his father's farm in Wisconsin. On the 22nd day of April. 1878, the family arrived in Nobles county and at once took up its residence on the northeast quarter of section 8, Worthington township. which Mr. Green, Sr .. purchased, and which is now owned by the subject of this sketch. Frank lived on the home place for a few years, and then spent one year in Huron, S. D. Returning to Nobles county, he accepted a position on the Roche farm in Jackson county, where he was employed for two years. lle then lived on the home farm for two years, which brings the story of his life up to the time of his marriage. He was wedded to Miss Lizzie Kennefick at Michigan City, Ind., Dec. 9. 1888. Mrs. Green was born in Ire- land and came to this country with her parents when a child less than one year old. Mr. and Mrs. Green are the parents of two ehildren, James Lee, born Oct. 9, 1889, and Julia. born April 14. 1893.
After his marriage Mr. Green rented a quarter section farm adjoining his father's
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
place and worked it one year. He then rented the Wilcox place on section 4. Worth- ington. and lived there two years; two years more were spent on the Bennie Prince farm on section 20. Worthington, and then he rented the home farm, where he has lived since, buying the property from his father in 1899.
Mr. Green has been school clerk of his di-triet for the last eleven years, and is now -erving a term as township clerk, to which office he was elected in the spring of 1906.
JAMES MONTGOMERY, capitalist. banker and real estate dealer of Worthington, al- though a resident of the county for only a few years, has taken a very active part in the business life of the several communities in which he has lived.
Mr. Montgomery was born in the county of Fermanagh, Ireland. Feb. 19, 1847. and came to the United States in 1860. Hle lo. cated in New York state, where he lived four years. In 1864. when only seventeen years of age, he enlisted in company G, of the Fourth U. S. infantry, and served three years, being mustered out of the service at Prescott, Arizona, in 1867. During the last two years of his service he was on the fron- tier. taking part in campaigns against the Indians. At the close of his army service Mr. Montgomery took a position as gov- ernment mail carrier, and for two years carried the mail between the towns of Pres- cott and Tucson, Arizona.
In 1869 the subject of this biography re- turned to the past. settled in Butler county. Jowa, bought a farm there, and engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1881. le then spent two years farming in North Dakota. but returned to his lowa farm, where he re mained until 1891. In the last named year he sold out his interests in Butler county and purchased a farm in Emmett county, Iowa, where he remained one year. In 1892 VI. Montgomery engaged in the lumber Im.iness at Ellsworth, which was his business five years. The next two years were passed in Estherville, lowa, where he Imilt a resi. dence. Disposing of his property ther moved to Dickinson county, Iowa, and in. vested in land on the Rock Island road. upon which he platted the town of Montgomery. When the Burlington road (now the Rock
Island) was extended from Worthington to Hardwick, and the new towns of Wilmont and Li-more came into existence, Mr. Mont gomery went to Wilmont and embarked in the elevator. lumber, coal and farm imple- ment business, with a branch at Lismore. Two years later he sold out there business interest- and went into the real estate and banking business at Wihnout. He is first vice president of the First National Bank of Wilmont, an office he has held seven years, and is also pre-ident of the Wilmont Townsite company. During his residence in Wilmont he took an active interest in local matters and was several times cleeted pressi dent of the village council. In the fall of 1907 Mr. Montgomery moved to Worthing- ton, where he has since resided, devoting his time to looking after his real estate and banking interests. He owns about 1,000 aeres of Nobles county land. in the town- ships of Bigelow. Worthington. Dewald, Will- mont and Bloom: 640 acres in Traver-e county, Minn .: 300 acres in Red Lake coun- ty. Minn .; and residence property in Worth- ington.
Mr. Montgomery was married at Green. Iowa, in 1877 to Mary E. Lucas, as a result of which union six children were born, Al are dead with the exception of the young es. Ada, born at Green. lowa. May 15. 1888. Mrs. Montgomery died in 1894. Our sub- jeet's second marriage occurred at Ellsworth. Minn .. Maich 29, 1896, when he was married to Mary E. Toomey, daughter of Jerry and Ann Toomey. One daughter has blessed this union. Ruth. born at Estherville. lowa. July 2. 1898. Mrs. Montgomery wis born in Newport. N. Y. Det. 17. 1800, and in that stato she was raised and educated.
JOHN H. SCOTT, retired farmer, residing at Worthington. ims been a resident of Nobles county since the fall of 1871. mak- ing a continuous residence here equalled by only a few of the pioneers. During the greater part of this time his home was in Ransom township. but since 1900 he has re. tired from active life and has made his. home in the county seat town.
Columbus. Bartholomew county. Ind., is the birthplace of Mr. Scott, where he was born Sept. 7. 1812. His father, Jasper II. Scott. was born at Hillsborough. Ohio, May
- HUM
JOHN H. SCOTT
Who Came to Nobles County in September, 1871, and Became the First Settler of Ransom Township.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
16, 1820, and died at Traer, Iowa, May 27, ISS9. Ilis mother, Elizabeth (Hawkins) Scott, was born at Lexington. Ky., Feb. 26. 1824; she died at Traer. Jowa, Dec. 10, 1901. Until the subject of this biography was ten years old he lived with his parents in the county of his nativity. Then the family removed to Ogle county. Ill .. and that was the family home until 1858, when a re-i- dence was established in Tama county, lowa. Thereafter nntil 1871, when Mr. Scott he- came a resident of Nobles county, Tama county was his home, although more or less time was spent away from the parental roof. Ile received a common school educa- tion. beginning his studies in Iowa and con- tinning them in Illinois and Iowa.
From the town of Buckingham (now Traer), lowa. Mr. Scott enlisted Aug. 14. 1862, in company F. of the 28th lowa volun- teer infantry, and served a little less than three years in the war of the rebellion, he- ing mistered out May 27. 1865. Hlis service was in the anny of the west, where he took part in the siege of Vicksburg. the siege of Jackson, and the battles of Fort Gibson. Raymond, Edward's Station, Champion Hill and a number of less important battles. On April 8. 1864, he was seriously wound- ed at the battle of Sabine and Cedar Cross Roads. Louisiana, and was taken prisoner. lle was held a prisoner by the southern army until June 18, 1864. when he was paroled and sent to New Orleans. There he was taken to St. James hospital. where he remained three or four weeks: then he was taken to Jefferson Barracks hospital at St. Louis, where he was taken care of until about the first of January, 1865. He was then transferred to a hospital at Keokuk, Iowa, where he was a patient until the close of the war.
Upon receiving his discharge Mr. Scott returned to his old home in Tama county. Towa. and for about a year and one-half engaged in farming. lle then went to Dun- laje, lowa. and made his home with an aunt. being employed there about two years as foreman of a eattle ranch. Returning again to his Tama county home, he remain- eil until the fall of 1871.
Hearing of the new country in sonth. western Minnesota which was then being opened because of the building of the rail- road in that direction, Mr. Scott decided to
build himself a home in the new country He drove up, looked the country over, and decided to remain. He first entered the county in September, 1871, before the rail- road had been built this far, although the grading was then being done. Ile entered a soldier's homestead upon the northwest quarter of section 24 in what was later or- ganized into Ransom township, and beeame one of the first settlers of that township. The first few years of his residence here were anything but encouraging. The grass- hoppers came, and with them came times that tried men's souls. Mr. Scott had total erop failures two years; another two years he reaped only a partial erop. But he stayed with the country, and today is rated among the most prosperous men of the county. He remained on his Ransom township farm until 1900, and then took np his residence in Worthington, where he has since made his home. lle owns one of the finest resi- dences in Worthington and still holds con- siderable valuable property in Ransom.
In December, 1869, Mr. Scott was united in marriage at Buckingham, lowa, to Sarah 1. Belknap, danghter of Martin .A. Belknap. To them have been born seven children. all of whom are living. They are: Nelson O .. Portales, N. M .: Mary (now Mr -. Michael Sorem). Bigelow, Minn .: John R., Culbert- son, Mont .: Ormanda. Ransom township; Martin J., Culbertson. Mont .: Jefferson G., Calvin, N. D .: Bessie, living at home.
During his residence in lowa Mr. Scott served as assessor in 1866 and 1867; and was deputy county treasmer of Tama coun- ty in 1867 and 1868. In Ransom township he served several years as member of the board of supervisors, and was township treasurer fourteen years. The office of road over-eer and other minor offices were also held by him at different times. For many years he was a member of the school board of his district in Ranson.
All his life Mr. Scott has taken an active interest in religious matters, and is now a member of the Methodist Episcopal church of Worthington and holds the office of trif's tee of that organization. ITe has helped Imild four different churches. The first was at Buckingham (now known as Traer), Iowa: the next was the Ransom Methodist church: then the Bigelow church: and last the handsome Methodist church of Worth-
BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
ington. When the last named was built Mr. Scott was chairman of the building committee and also chairman of the board of trustees. The only lodge with which he affiliates is Stoddard Post No. 34, G. A. R.
WILLIAM F. MOSS, county commissioner from the second district, and a Summit Lake township farmer, has lived in Nobles county nearly twenty-three years. He owns a 480-aere farm, all of which is in Summit Lake township except 80 acres, which ad- joins his other land and lies in seetion 1. Dewald. His place is finely improved. and he has a splendid orchard of 400 trees.
Mr. Moss is of German birth, having been born in Mecklenburg. Hle is the eldest of a family of five children, all of whom except himself are living in New York state. Ili- father is Joseph Moss, who came from Germany in 1870, and who now resides at Bushell's Basin, near Fairport. N. Y .. aged 83 years. The mother of our subject was Hannah (Smith) Moss, who was born in Germany and died in New York state in 1888.
On November 16, 1870, Mir. Moss eame with his parents to the new world and lo- ented at Fairport, N. Y. . In the vicinity of that town he worked for wages until 1883, when he came west and located at Marcus, lowa. There be farmed two years and then moved to Nobles county. He purchased property in Summit Lake township, and there he has resided ever since.
At Pittsford. N. Y., in February. 1881, occurred the marriage of Mr. Moss to Miss Mary Schroeder, a native of Germany. They are the parents of the following children: Henry. Emma, Roy, Lilly, Minnie and Clar- ence.
Mr. Moss has taken quite an active part in local politics. He has served several terms as chairman of the Summit Lake board of supervisors, and has also been treas- urer of the board, as well as elerk of the school district in which he resides. In 1906 Mr. Moss was elected a member of the board of county commissioners on the re- publican ticket, and is now, serving the see- ond year of the term. He is treasurer of the Farmers Mutual Telephone company and is secretary of the Reading Threshing com- pany.
JACOB H. SCHUCK is one of the substan- tial farmers of Bigelow township. having made his home there during the last twenty- three years. lle owns the northeast quar- ter of section 3, the west half of the north- west quarter of the same section and the north half of the southeast quarter of sec- tion 3. Ile was born in Washington county. Wis .. Dee. 26. 1856, the eldest of a family of seven children. all of whom except himself and a sister, Mrs. Henry Pfeil, reside in lowa.
The father of our subjeet was Rev. Nich- olas Schnek, who was born in Prussia Oct. 20, 1832. lle came to the United States when twelve years of age and settled in the timber di-triet of Wisconsin. twenty miles north of Milwaukee, which was at the time a small village. He bought an eighty aere farm there. engaged in agricultural pur- suits a short time and then entered the min- istry. becoming one of the pioneer ministers and circuit riders of Wisconsin. Hle con- tinued in the ministry until his death, which ceeurred at LaPorte, lowa, on March 20, 1892. Our subjeet's mother was Catherine (lammann) Sehuck, who was born in Rhine province, Germany, and came to the United States when 22 years of age, marrying Mr. Schuck shortly afterwards. She died at LaPorte. Iowa, Sept. 20. 1902. aged 73 years.
Until Jacob Sehuck was eighteen years of age the family had no permanent home. but resided in different parts of Wisconsin where the duties of Rev. Schuck ealled him. Then a permanent home was established in Black hawk county, lowa, where the elder Schuck owned a half section of land, part of which was hought from the government. The subject of this biography worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-three years old. Then he rented his parent's farm and conducted it four years. In 1884 Mr. Selmek purchased his Bigelow township farm and in the spring of 1885 moved onto the place, made the many improvements, and has since resided there. The land is now farmer by our subject's sons, Ervin and Philip.
Mr. Schuck was married at LaPorte, Iowa, Dec. 26, 1882, to Miss Anna Pfeil. She was born in Germany May 24. 1855, eame to the I'nited States when nine years of age, and prior to her marriage resided in Illinois.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
To Mr. and Mrs. Schuek have been born eight children: Addie, born Nov. 26, 1884; May, born Jan. 25, 1885; Ervin, born May 13, 1889; Philip, born April 3, 1888; Eunice, born Feb. 22, 189]; Lena, born Sept. 16, 1893; Frank, born May 13, 1895; Anna. The two first named were born in Black- hawk county, lowa; the others in Nobles county. The family are members of the German Evangelical church of Worthington. Mr. Schuck has held numerous township and school offices in Bigelow township.
C. F. MODISETT, proprietor of the "Rose Hill farm" (north half of section 31. Bige- low township), located within the corporate limits of the village of Bigelow, is an early day settler of that village. He was born at Terre Haute, Indiana, May 25, 1861, the son of Charles Cole and Margaret (Lyons) Modisett. The father was born in West Virginia. Ile drove through by ox team to Indiana in the late forties and became a homesteader in the lloosier state. He died in Vigo county, of that state, in 1863, when our subject was eighteen months old, aged 55 years. Margaret Lyons was a daughter of Captain Lyons and was born on Fort Harrison prairie, in the Wabash valley. She died in Vigo county, Indiana, in 1881, at the age of 51 years.
On a farm near Terre Haute, C. F. Modi- sett spent the first eighteen years of his life. Then he went west and first located in Sac county, lowa. where he spent one year on a farm. Going from there to Wayne county, Nebraska, he bought a farm. At the time of making the deal he had only five dollars, which he deposited to bind the bar- gain until he could return to his old home in Indiana. There he sold a piece of brush land, by which he raised enough money to make the first payment on the land. In Wayne and adjoining counties Mr. Modisett lived several years. Then he moved to Alton, fowa, and worked in a flouring mill.
In 1883 Mr. Modisett moved to the vil- lage of Bigelow and for one year ran the elevator of the Iowa Land company the first steam elevator of the village. The next year his headquarters were at Alton. from which village he traveled on the road for the mill company. Returning to his old home near Terre Haute, Mr. Modisett
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