USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 54
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It was in 1869 that Mr. Osbon came to America. Ile first located at Okolona, Miss., sixty miles from the city of Mobile, where for a few months he worked at woodchop- ping. From there he went north and lo- cated at Sonth McGregor, lowa, where he remained a little less than a year working on the Dubuque & St. Paul railroad, which was then being built. He next took em- ployment with the Wisconsin Central, which
was then being constructed through Wau- paca county, Wis. Hle was there nearly one year and then began work on the Chicago & Northwestern at a point six miles from Sparta. Wis.
On the seventh day of May, 1873, Mr. Osbon came to Nobles county and it has been his home ever since. For five years he farmed rented land on seetion 22. Ransom township. Soon after his arrival, however, he filed a preemption claim to 80 aeres of land on seetion 12. Little Rock, and bought a homestead relinquishment to the other eighty acres of the same quarter. and in time proved up on both. After leaving Ran- som township he erected buildings on bis own property and moved to his own land. On that place and on adjoining property. which he bought later, Mr. Osbon has re- sided continuously since. Hle now owns 480 acres in one body.
Mr. Osbon was married at Prairie du ( hien, Wis,, in June, 1871, to Anna Swen- son, who was born in Sweden and came to America at the same time her future hns- band did. They are parents of the follow- ing children: H. Oshon, who farms 200 acres of his father's farm; Sandol, who also farms 200 acres of the home place; Emma (Mrs. Louis Johnson), who lives in Little Rock township. Mr. and Mrs. Osbon are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Ran-om township.
FRED SCHINKEL is an Elk township farmer who has lived in Nobles county eighteen years. Ile owns and farms the northwest quarter of section 9. Mr. Sehin- kel was born in Grundy county, Iowa. April S. 1874, the son of the late An- drow and Mary (Klie) Schinkel. The for- mer was born in Germany Sept. 4. 1824. and died at Worthington March 14, 1896. The latter was also a native of Germany. having been born Oct. 2, 1828; she died Ang. 6, 1880.
Our subject received his education in the country schools of Grundy and Blackhawk counties, lowa. and made his home in the former until 1890, He then came to No- bles county with his parents, and for two years lived with his father on the farm in Dewald township. Thereafter for several years he worked at farm work in differ-
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ent parts of the county. He was married at Sioux Falls, S. D., March 3, 1899, to Mamie Baker, a native of Chicago and a daughter of Geo. Baker, of Worthington. They have two children-Roy and Alice.
After his marriage Mr. Schinkel moved onto the farm where he now resides, having purchased it two years before his marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Schinkel are members of the Presbyterian church of Reading, and the for- mer is treasurer of school district No. 29, which he has held for the last five years.
W. 1. HUMISTON. Among the business and professional men of Worthington are many who came to the town as boys, and among the number is the subject of this bi- ography, who came in June, 1872, and who has ever since made his home here.
Mr. Humiston is the son of Edwin R. and Mary A. (Davis) Iumiston. He was born in Lesueur county, Minn., on Christmas day, 1861. The night following his birth the log cabin in which the family lived was burned to the ground, and his mother, taking the infant in her arms, waded the snow drifts over a trackless forest two miles to the nearest neighbor, a feat that only a woman of the pioneer days could have accomplished.
In his native county Will Humiston lived until June, 1872. Then he came to Worth- ington with the family, the father having arrived the year before. lle was educated in the public schools of the village, attend- ing the school winters and herding cattle summers, which occupation he began at the age of thirteen years. In June, 1885, he went into the hardware business as the seni- or member of the firm of W. I. Humiston & Co., and was so engaged eighteen years, part of the time being sole proprietor of the store. After going out of the hardware business Mr. Humiston engaged in the im- plement business, which he conducted three years. lle is now engaged in raising thor- oughbred Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey swine. He owns a fine home in the city and ten Nobles county farms.
In 1887 Mr. Humiston was married in Worthington to Lilly L. Glass, a native of Kentucky, and to them have been born three children: Lee J., Lillian and Harry.
Mr. Humiston served six years as a mom- her of the Worthington village council. He is a member of the Masonic lodge.
MICHAEL SOREM, of Biglow, is the pro- prietor of that village's only hardware store. He has been a resident of Nobles county for many years, during which time he has been engaged in farming in Ranson township and in business in Bigelow.
Michael was born in Grundy county, 111., June 4, 1870, the son of Mons N. and Sarah (Ostrem) Sorem. now of Ransom township. Mons Sorem was born in Norway May 12, 1840, and came to the United States in June, 1867. After a nineteen years residence in Grundy county, Ill., where he was engaged in farming, he came to Nobles county and benght the south half of seetion 21, Ranson township, upon which he has since resided. Our subject's mother was born in Norway March 31, 1838, was married to Mr. Sorem in her native country, and is now living.
In Grundy county, Ill., Michael received a common school education. After he had come to Nobles county at the age of six- teen years he completed his education with a one year's commercial course at the Breck school, of Wilder. Hle resided on his father's Ransom township farm until twenty-one years of age. Then he bought the north- cast quarter of section 15, Ransom, and en- gaged in farming for himself, which he fol- lowed until January 1, 1903. On the last named date Mr. Sorem moved to Bigelow and. in partnership with his brother, N. M. Sorem, bought the hardware store of R. II. Wieks. The brothers conducted the business as partners until Nov. 1. 1906. when our subject became sole proprietor, since which time he has conducted the business alone.
In Ransom township, on December 18, 1895, Mr. Sorem was united in marriage to Miss Mary HI. Scott, who was born in Ran- som township September 27, 1872, and who is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John H. Scott, pioneer settlers of Ransom township. To this union have been born four children: Evelyn Ruth, born Dec. 6, 1896; Mabel Irene, born Feb. 24, 1901; Edna Lillian, born March 17, 1903; Clifford Michael, born June 20, 1904.
While living in Ransom township Mr. Sor- em served two years as a member of the township board and was treasurer of school district No. 27 for five years. He is now clerk of district No. 27. He is a member of the Methodist church of Bigelow.
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VICTOR ANDERSON. One of the heaviest land owners of Bigelow township and one of the most successful farmers and stock rais- ers is Vietor Anderson, who has lived in the county sixteen years. Ile owns nearly 800 aeres of land, including all of section 17 except 104 acres on the southwest quarter, west of the railroad; eighty aeres on section 16 and 175 aeres on section eight. When he came to the county in 1892 his farm was prairie land and without improvements of any kind; today he has one of the best im- proved farms in the vicinity. Ile engages in stock raising and has large herds of cattle, hogs and sheep:
Mr. Anderson was born in Sweden Dee. 13, 1860. He is one of a family of five children and is the son of the late Gust Anderson and Mary Anderson. The father came to the United States in 1867 and lo- eated first in Dekalb county, Hl. Later he moved to Rock Island, Ill., where he resided until 1904, when he moved to Taco- ma, Washington, at which place he died April 15. 1907, aged 78 years. The mother of our subject is now 70 years of age and resides at Tacoma.
Vietor Anderson came to the United States with his parents in 1867 and for ten or eleven years lived with them in Dekalb county, Ill. He then took up his residenee in Sae county, Iowa, where he resided about fifteen years. During the last ten years of his residence there he rented land and en- gaged in farming. On March 1, 1892, he came to Nobles county and located on his present farm, 320 acres of which he had purchased before coming to the county. He improved the farm and engaged in farm- ing and stock raising until the spring of 1904. He then rented the farm and moved to Worthington, where he resided three years. At the end of that time he again took up his residence on the farm. In addition to his Bigelow farm property he owns a house on Fourth street in Worthington. During the years 1901, 1902 and 1903 Mr. Anderson served as supervisor of Bigelow township, and during 1903 served as director of school district No. 80.
In Chicago, on March 26, 1883, Mr. An- derson was united in marriage to Miss Annie Peterson, a daughter of E. L. Peterson, also resident of Bigelow township. Mrs. An- a derson was born in Sweden and came to the
United States with her parents when a child. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of the following children: Mabel, born Sept. 27, 1884; Ida, horn Sept. 7, 1888; Ralph, born June 10, 1891; Bessie, born Feh. 13, 1895. Both Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are mem- hers of the Swedish Lutheran church of Worthington. Mabel was united in marriage to Chas. M. Pannell July 23, 1908, while Ida married C. L. Newman on May 18, 1908.
JOIIN C. THOMSEN is the senior member of the hardware, furniture and implement house of Thomsen Bros. & Mangelson, Round Lake, which village has been his home for the last fifteen years. Starting in there as a elerk, a few years later he entered the business arena for himself, and now is the head of one of the most popular business houses of the village.
Mr. Thomsen is the son of Matt Thomsen and Annie (Peterson) Thomsen, who now reside at Ilolstein, lowa. He was born in Germany in 1869. When a boy five years old he came with his parents to America, who first settled at Walcott, Iowa, and there he resided at the family home until 1879. Then he moved to Holstein, Iowa, made his home with an unele, and from that time earned his own living. His education was begun in the public schools of Waleott, and after moving to Holstein he completed his common school education there. In 1892 he completed his edneation at Davenport, Iowa, taking a busi- ness course in the Davenport Business eol- lege.
In July, 1893, Mr. Thomsen came to Round Lake, then a little village with some half dozen business houses, and entered the em- ploy of Moeller & Diehn, dealers in general merchandise, and was with that firm for six and one-half years. On the first day of February, 1899, in partnership with John L. Mangelson, he opened a hardware and furni- ture store in Round Lake. The firm pros- pered, and on Jan. 1, 1905, a stock of im- plements was added to the business, and an- other partner was added to the firm. Will- iam Thomsen, a brother of our subject, en- tered the firm, which now became Thomsen Bros. & Mangelson.
Mr. Thomsen was married September 4, 1901, at Round Lake, to Miss Esther Kling- loof. To this union has been born one child,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Milton, barn Oct. 7, 1902. When the village of Round Lake was incorporated in the fall of 1898 Mr. Thomsen was elected village recorder, and for six consecutive years there- after he was reelected to the same office. serving until the spring of 1905. lle is a member of the MI. W. A. lodge of Round Lake
ROBERT L. MORLAND. druggi-t. of Worthington, has devoted his life to the drug business. having started work in a drug store when twelve years of age and having followed the business continuously over since.
Mr. Morland was born in Stranraer. Seol- land, in 1864. the son of Robert L. Mor- land. of Worthington. and Margaret (Me- Meikan) Morland, who died at Worthington Dec. 28, 1907. lle received his elucation in the schools of the Free Church of Spot- land and in Stranraer academy, and in 1876 entered the employ of Richard Ker. who was in the retail drug business in Mr. Morland's native town. After a service of five year- with Mr. Ker. Robert Vorland went to Liver- pool, where for two years he was in the em play of Evan- Sons & Co., the largest drug manufacturing and wholesale dealers in Great Britain. and one of the largest in the world. In 1884 he went to Dublin. where for three years he was in the employ of Hunt & Co .. wholesale and mamifacturing druggists.
It was in Iss7 that Mr. Morland came to America and located in Montreal, Canada. where he took a position with Evans Sous & Mason (now Evans & Sons. limited), the Montreal branch of Evans Sons & Co., of Liverpool, with whom the subject of this biography had been associated in England. In his new position Mr. Morland had charge of the department of pharmaceutical- and chemical-, In 1892 he gave up his work in Montreal, went to Chicago, and entered the employ of Buek & Rayner, retail druggists a' the corner of State and Madison streets. During the year 1893, while the Columbian exposition was in progress. Mr. Morland had charge of the store night-, and after the fair he was made manager of the store, which position he hell until the last day of Decem
In January. 1595, Mr Morland came to Worthington, purchased the drug store then
owned by Cha -. H. Babcock, and has since conducted the store. In May, 1903. he was appointed a member of the state board of pharmiey by Governor Van Sant, and at the next meeting of the board, in January, 1901. he was chosen president, an office to which he has been elected annually since. In local pub- lic matter- Mr. Morland has always taken an active part. He is a member of the Carnegie library board and is president of the Worth- ington commercial club.
Mr. Morland was married at Cottage Grove, Minn .. Nov. 7, 1906, to Mrs. Edith Dolan.
CHARLES W. SIPES lives in Bloom town- -hip. where he owns the north half of see- tion 30. Ile is of Holland and Seotel de- scent on his father's side and of English descent on his mother's. It was his pater- naj grandparents who came to the United States and founded the American branch of the Sipes family. His mother's parents emigrated from England. James Sipes, our subjeet's father, was born in Bedford county. Pa., in the year 1800, and died in February, 1888. Naney (Smith) Sipes was the name of his mother. She was born in Bedford county. Pa., in ISOS and died in 18st.
To these parents Charles Sipes was born in Bedford county, Pa., Dec. 26, 1837. In his native county young Sipes lived until he was seventeen years of age. Ile seeured a common school education there and was farm raised. After becoming old enough to work he was hired out to a farmer. Leaving home at the age of seventeen he went to Delaware county. Ohio, and after working on a farm there one year, he went to Car soll county. Ill. There he worked out as a farm hand a year and a half, and then in the spring of 1836 he went to St. Anthony Falls, where the city of St. Paul now stands. in an musteressful endeavor to find work. The future capital of Minnesota was then a little village only one half as large as Wilmont is today. and Minneapolis did not bave a place on the map. From Minnesota Mr. Sipes went to Tama county, Iowa, ar- living there March 20, 1856, purchased a small farm there and engaged in farming until the spring of 1880.
It was during his residence in lowa that Mr. Sipes, in September, 1862, enlisted at Toledo, lowa, in company F, of the 28th
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Iowa infantry. Ile served a three years' en- listment. taking part in the Vicksburg cam- paign under Grant, the Red River campaign under Banks, the campaign in the Shenan- doah valley under Sheridan, and in the opera- tions around Savannah. In the latter city he was mustered out on Aug. 14, 1865.
In the spring of 1880 Mr. Sipes moved to Sae county. lowa, and engaged in farming till 1892. That year he came to Nobles county and located on the south half of see- tion 20, Larkin township, where he farmed until 1901. That year he sold out and bought his present Bloom township farm. Mr. Sipes is a Ma-on, holding a membership in Roman Eagle lodge No. 175 (Adrian).
In Tama county, lowa, in March, 1858, Mr. Sipes was married to Mary Cronk. She died in 1888. One child was born to them- James Henry, now of Luverne. Mr. Sipes was married the second time on Christmas day, 1893, at Shaylor, lowa, to Jane Kyle, a native of Canada. To them have been born William R. and Caroline M. itwin-), born Nov. 25, 1894.
FRANCIS E. MeLEAN. ex-United States mar- shal, now rural mail carrier out of Adrian, is one of the carly day settlers of western Nobles county. his residence here extending over a period of more than thirty years.
Francis E. McLean i- the second of a fam- ily of six children, all living, and he was born in the city of Milwaukee, Wis .. October 1850. Ifi- father, James Melean, was born in the city of Liverpool, England. and came to the United States at the age of 26 years and first located in Detroit. Mich. He was a plasterer by trade, and in fol- lowing that occupation lived in many differ- ent places in the United States-in Detroit, Milwaukee, Peoria, St. Cloud. Tacoma and Mandan, N. D. He died in the last named city on Feb. 14. 1994. at the age of 80 years. Ellen (Barron) MeLean was the name of the mother of our subject. She was a native of County Carlow. Ireland. came to America when a child and located at St. Thomas, Canada. She later moved to Detroit. Mich., where she was married to Mr. MeLean. She died when the subject of this sketch was sixteen years old.
When Francis was one year old the family moved from Milwaukee to Peoria. Ill., and
in 1862 to Stearns county, Minn. Two years later the family home was made at St. Cloud, Minn., and there our subject attended the public schools and St. John's college. He lived there until 1871, and after his school days, learned the plasterer's trade, receiving instruction from his father.
In 1871 he left home and went to Duluth. where he worked for the Mississippi & Lake Superior Railroad company, plastering depots and section houses along the line of the road from Duluth to Thompson's City. In the fall of 1871 Mr. MeLean went to Chicago. where he followed his trade until the spring of 1876. Ile then worked at his trade in the towns of northern Minnesota for one year, and in the spring of 1877 went to Fort Custer. Montana. The Northern Pacific rail- road at that time extended only to Bismark, N. D .. and the trip to Fort Custer was made by boat from that point up the Missouri. Yellowstone and Big Horn rivers. Mr. Me- Lean had enlisted for six months service as an artisan to assist in the construction of the fort, and during that time was under military rule. He left the job and returned to Benton, Minn., in which village and in Minneapolis he remained until April, 1878.
On April 10 of the last named year Mr. McLean came to Nobles county and took a homestead in Leota town-hip. llis homestead claim consisted of the north half of the southeast quarter of section 20. and he bought in addition the northeast quarter of the same section, which was a tree claim. Here he lived. engaged in farming, about ten years. Moving to Adrian from the farm. ho worked at his trade in that village until September, 1907. He received the appoint- ment as rural mail carrier August 15, 1901, and has since been engaged in the mail ser- vice. During the years that Gilbert Ander- son served as sheriff of Nobles county Mr. MeLean was deputy sheriff, and he was l'nited States mar-hal during R. T. O'Con- nor's administration. He is a member of the Catholic church and of the Odd Fellows, Modern Woodmen and Knights of Pythias lodges.
Mr. Melean was united in marriage at Avoca, Minn .. February 4. 1880, to Kate E. Ryan, a native of Greenwale township, Minn .. and a daughter of Timothy and Mary Mc- Carthy) Ryan, natives of Ireland. The for mer is dead; the latter lives at Mendota,
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Minn., and is 72 years of age. To Mr. and Mrs. MeLean have been born ten children: James, Grace E. (Mrs. Olive B. Crane). Mary J., Catherine E., Francis E., Willian J., Agnes, John D., Neil and Richard L.
B. F. KIZER, retired farmer and capitalist of Wilmont, is one of the highly respected citizens of that village, and his life's history is an interesting one.
Mr. Kizer was born in Cedar county, lowa. Dee. 9, 1838. llis father was Abraham Kizer, who was born in Virginia, but who came to Iowa when that commonwealth was a terri- tory, and was among the pioneer settlers. lle located in Cedar county and engag- ed in farming. There were Indians in that part of Iowa when he made his home there and for many years afterwards, and the settlers sometimes had trouble with them. The nearest market was Dubuque, eighty miles away. The Kizer family had many and varied experiences during the pio- neer days. Abraham Kizer died in Decem- ber, 1899, and was 98 years of age at the time of his death. He was of German descent, but the family had resided in Am- erica for many generations. Our subjeet's mother was Maggie (Lipsie) Kizer, of Irish descent. She died in 1897, aged 84 years.
When B. F. Kizer was twelve years of age the family moved over the line into Scott county, and that was his home for many years. He was educated in the country schools of Scott county and was raised on his father's farm. For two summers during war times Mr. Kizer was a freighter. hanl- ing goods from Plattsmouth (where the river Platte empties into the Missouri) to Denver. Returning to Scott county after this service he engaged in farming for himself, which he followed three years. He then moved to Bu- chanan county, Iowa, bought a quarter section of prairie land, broke it out. and farmed six years.
From Buchanan county Mr. Kizer went to Benton county. Iowa, bought 160 acres of wild land there, and farmed until 1880. Hle then bought eighty acres in Osceola county, one mile south of the Nobles county line, and farmed it four years. In 1881 he sold out there and bought 240 acres of school land in Little Rock township. Nobles county. paying therefor $6.00 per acre-land which
he still owns and which today is worth $65 per acre. Mr. Kizer farmed his Little Rock land until 1906, when he rented it and moved to Wilmont. Ile owns a ten acre traet in the village, all feneed and eut up into lots. A few years ago Mr. Kizer underwent a se- vere operation at Sibley, one of the most re- markable surgical operations on record, and he is now enjoying good health.
In Cedar county, lowa, on April 12, 1863, Mr. Kizer was married to Isabella Beekworth, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. W. Beek- worth. The former was horn in Vermont, but later moved to Canada. where Mrs. Kizer was born April 4, 1848. Mr. Beek- worth later returned to the United States and died in Missouri. Mrs. Kizer's motber was also a native of Vermont. She died when Mrs. Kizer was a child.
Mr. and Mrs. Kizer are the parents of the following named children: Margaret S. (Mrs. Ed. Botwick), of Harris, Iowa, born Jan. 30, 1864: Ida May (Mrs. T. J. Stage). of Sibley. Iowa. born Feb. 27, 1866; E., of Little Rock township. born June 6 1868; Sidney. of DeSmet, S. D., born July 26, 1871; B. Frank. of Little Rock township, born Nov. 27, 1882; Eva Isabell (Mrs. Emery Reese), of Wilmont, born March 30. 1884.
JAMES L. MeCONKEY is postmaster at Brewster and a member of the board of county commissioners of Nobles county. HIe was born in Cordova township, Lesueur county, Minn., Ang. 3. 1862, the son of William and Mary (Hess) MeConkey. The father was born in Ireland, came to America when a boy, and to Lesueur county, Min., in Angust. 1856, where he still resides. The mother was born in Catskill county, N. Y., and died in Minnesota in March, 1906, aged 68 years.
Mr. MeConkey was educated in the public schools of Lesueur county, and that was his home until JJuly. 1892. when he established his residence in Jackson county. After ' Ã residence there of two years, he moved to Brewster. where he has since resided. In September. 1897. he received the appointment of postmaster of Brewster, and has since presided over that office. Hle served as con- stable of Hersey township in 1895 and 1896, was assessor of the same precinct in 1899,
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and was chosen justice of the peace in 1900. From 1900 to 1902 he served on the Brewster village council, and in 1904 was elected county commissioner, which office he still holds.
At Cordova, Minn., in April, 1884, Mr. McConkey was married to Rosa Starner, who was born at Jordan, Scott county, Minn., Ang. 24, 1865. To them have been born three children, as follows: Clyde J., aged 22, a student at the Minnesota state university; Mande Marie, aged 20, married Jan. 1, 1908, to Fred Bork, of South Dakota; Emily I.ois, aged 18, a Jackson county school teacher.
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