USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 62
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In the religious, social, official and educa- tional matters of his community Mr. Hollaren has taken an active part. Ile is a member of the Catholic church and of the .1. O. II.,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
3. O. L. 11., C. O. F. and K. of C. lodges. He has served several terms as member of the township and village boards, and was for several terms a member of the Ellsworth board of education, of which he was at one time president.
MARTIN M. McCANN has farmed eighteen years in Leota township. Ile is one of the large land owners of western Nobles county, owning 900 acres of land in Leota, Lismore and Larkin townships.
Martin McCann was born in Crawford county, Wis., March 12, 1857. Ile is the son of James and Mary McCann, natives of Ire. land. The former was born in Dublin and came to the U'nited States when about twen- ty-five years of age. He served in a Wis- consin regiment during the war of the robel- lion and is now living in Prairie du Chien, Wis., at the age of 80 years. llis wife is also living and is 72 years of age.
Until he was nineteen years of age Martin lived on the home farm in Crawford county, Wi -. Hle then went to Clayton county, lowa, where he worked out three years. The next three years were spent in Sioux and Lyon counties, lowa, teaching school during the winter months and working at other ocen- pation- during the summers. During the time he was residing in Iowa, Mr. McCann took a homestead and trec claim in Hutchinson county. S. D., and in 1882 he moved onto the claim and there engaged in farming until 1891. During the time he lived there he taught several terms of school.
In the spring of 1892 Mr. MeCann moved to Nobles county and located in Leota township. on section 27, where he now resides. He had purchased the half section there in 1891. the land then being wild prairie. lle has made many improvements on the place, and has one of the line farm homes of Leota town- ship. He now rents a part of his farms and intends soon to reside in Lismore, where he has recently created a fine home and where he owns eighteen and one-fourth acres.
Mr. MeCann was married at Shellon, Iowa, Vov. 12. 1882. 10 Annie L. Buckley, born in Iowa county. Wis,, Nov. 12, 1865. She is the daughter of Philip and Mary Buckley, hoch urceased. To Mr. and Mrs. McCann have been born the following named children, of whom all except the two first named reside at
home: Philip J., of Moosejaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, born Aug. 15, 1883; Eva (Mrs. Thomas King), of Moosejaw, born Aug. 30, 1885; Ro-a, born Feb. 1, 1887; James, born March 10, 1889; Anna L., born Sept. 19, 1891; Incy Agnes, born Jan. 26, 1894; Leo Alfred, born Jan. 2, 1896; Esther, born March 15, 1898; William Martin, born Oct. 6, 1901; Francis Raymond, born May 15, 1004; Law- rence Paul. born Feb. 3, 190S. The family are members of the Catholic church of Lis- more.
EDWARD F. BUCILAN, of Worthington, i- one of the oldest business men of that city, having conducted a photograph gallery there for the past twenty-eight years. Ile was born at Dover, Wis., June 11, 1858, the oldest son of Andrew and Delia N. (Blandin) Buchan, whose sketch appears elsewhere in this volume. His carly boyhood days were spent in the county of his birth and in llons- ton county, Minn., where his parents moved in the spring of 1805. Edward started his schooling in Houston county and finished his education in the grammar school at Worth- ington. From 1872 to 1879 he lived with his parents on the homestead near Worthington and endured all the trials incident to the grasshopper period.
In 1879 Mr. Buchan went to St. Paul and during that winter learned the photographer's trade. Returning to Worthington, he opened a gallery on April 20, 1880. in a building where the postoffice now is, a business in which he has been engaged ever since.
Mr. Buchan was married at Worthington May 11, 1882, to Miss Emma L. Moit, dangh- ter of Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Mott, who were pioneer-residents of the county. Mrs. Buchan was born at Dowagiac, Mich., May 14, 1859, and died at Worthington November 2, 1902. Two children were born to this union -Hale, who died March 8, ISS4, aged seven months, and Verna V., born June 29, 1895.
Mr. Buchan has been a member of the Presbyterian church of Worthington since March 24, 1874, and has always been an ac- tive member, taking a prominent part in church work. He was elected elder of the church in April, 1886, to succeed his father, and has held the office ever since, during which time he has hell various other of- fices in the church and the Sunday school.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Ever since the St. John campaign of 1884 he has been identified with the prohibition cause, and is one of the prominent members of that party in Nobles county, and has taken a very active part in the campaign against the liquor traffic.
DICKSON S. LONG, of Worthington town- ship, owns and farms the southwest quarter cf section 28, which has been his home for the last sixteen years. Mr. Long was born in Greenville, l'a., Oet. 12, 1849, the son of Samuel and Nancy (Christy) Long. Both parents were natives of Pennsylvania and both died in Iowa, the former at the age of 73 years, the latter aged 79. Our subjeet is of English and Scotch descent.
Mr. Long was educated in the public schools of Greenville, l'a., and was in the hardware business there five years. He left home in 1869 and spent two years farming in Fulton county, Ill. lle went to Girard, Kan- sas, in 1871, but remained there only six months. He then located at Morningsun, Jowa, where he engaged in farming and stockraising until 1892. That year he came to Nobles county and bought his present farm, where he has since resided.
Mr. Long was married at Morningsun, Iowa, on March 5, 1874, to Marnitta Stafford. They are the parents of the following named chil- dren: J. E., of Dewald township; Frank, of Kansas City, Mo .; Joseph and Ralph, who live at home.
JAMES NEFF, Bloom township farmer, was born at Monroe Falls, Summit county, Ohio, Nov. 5, 1865, the son of John and Eliza (Paulus) Neff, of Pennsylvania Dutch deseent. Both parents were natives of Ohio, the father having been born Jan. 22, 1829, in Portage county, the mother, Aug. 10, 1836, in Summit county. The former died near Sibley, Iowa, Feb. 12, 1883; the latter lives at Ashton, Iowa. John Neff's parents, Conrad and Mary A. (Cline) Neff, were na- tives of Pennsylvania. Mrs. Neff's parents were Jacob Paulus and Annie (Brocher) Paulus, natives of Pennsylvania.
In 1870 the family moved from Ohio to Hardin county, lowa, and the next year to near the site of the present town of Ashton, in Osceola county, becoming pioneers of that
eounty. On the Osceola county fann James Neif was reared and in the country schools of that county he was educated. After his father's death in 1883 he farmed the home place for his mother and was so engaged un- til 1898. In the fall of that year he moved to his present farm-the northwest quarter of section 5, Bloom township, which his mother had bought, and there he has since made his home.
Mr. Neff was married at Sibley, lowa, March 31, 1892, to Etla Kimball, who was born Aug. 3, 1859. She is a daughter of Isade and Clarissa (Weston) Kimball. Her father resides with her daughter. The mother was born iu Rockford, Ill., July 5, 1846, and died at Sibley, lowa, July 6, 1891. To Mr. and Mrs. Nelt have been born two children: Charles, boru June 21, 1893; Ifarold, born Nov. 6, 1900.
JAMES BAIRD, who resides on a farm in Sumunt Lake township, near the village of Reading, has been a resident of Nobles county nearly a quarter of a century, dur- ing all of which time he has been engaged in farming, with the exception of one year spent in Rushmore.
Mir. Baird is a native of Dumfries shire, Scotland, and was born Jan. 31, 1843. 111s parents were James and Jessie (Mocro! Baird, both of whom died in their native land, the former in 1800, the latter in 1856. Our subject lived in Scotland until forty years of age. At the age of thirteen he became a shepherd and followed that occupa- tion during all the time of his residence in his home land.
It was in the spring of 1883 that Mr. Baird came to America. lle went first to Montana, where he spent the first summer workmg through the west. The winter of 1883 84 he on the Northern Pacific railroad, then building spent in St. Paul and the following spring he came to Nobles county. In partnership with John Mckenzie he bought a quarter section of land in Dewald township, upon which he lived five years. Hle then sold out and rented a half section of land in Dewall, which he farmed six years. Moving to Ran som township, he made his home there until the spring of 1908. and then moved to bis present place near Reading. While engaging to some extent in general farming. Mr.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Baird makes a specialty of sheep raising, to which he has devoted his entire life. Ile raises thoroughbred Shropshires and has some fine ones.
Mr. Baird was married in Scotland in Ists to Jezsie MeKenzie, who died eight years later. To them were born the fol- lowing named children: Jessie (Mrs. Peter Maetier), of Summit Lake; James, of Sum- mit Lake; Ive, of Ransom; John, of Read- ing. Mr. Baird was married the second time in 1900 to Loretta J. Pettit, who died the following year.
Mr. Baird is a member of the Rushmore Presbyterian church, of which he has held the office of elder. lle was assesor of Ransom township for several years and also held school offices there a number of times.
S. A. VOSS, Bigelow township farmer, owns and farms the southwest quarter of svetion 29 and the northwest quarter of section 33. He is the son of Mbert and Catherine (Tiddens) Voss, who now reside at Little Rock. lowa, and he was born in Grundy county, lowa, Ang. 22, 1870. In his native county Mr. Voss resided until he was of age. llo then moved to Nobles county, bought the land where he now resides, and has since been engaged in farming the prop- erty. Mr. Voss is a member of the schoot board of distriet No. 108.
In Grundy county, lowa, on Feb. 26, 1892, Mr. Voss was married to Miss Ellen Bunger. a native of Hardin county, Iowa, and a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Nannie Bun-
ger. She was born Nov. 10. 1870. To Mr. and Mrs. Voss have been born cight ehildren, the oldest dying in infancy. Those living are: Catherine, born Ang. 18. 1894; Nannie Bunger, born June 16, 1896; Mbert Sibrand, born Feb. 14. 1898; Temmo Ger- hardus, born March 20, 1890; Tena Marie, born Feb. 26. 1901: Herbert Herman, horn hme 16. 1904; Minnie llarriet, born July 19, 1908.
FRED L. HUMISTON is clerk of the dis- triet court of Nobles county and one of the pioneers of Worthington, having been a resident of that city since June. 1872. He is a native Minnesotan, having been born in
Lesueur county in 1859, the son of Edwiu R. and Mary (Davis) Humiston, both of whom are living and reside at Worthington.
Fred received his early schooling in the common school of Lesueur county, and after his removal to Worthington completed his education in the Worthington public schools. llis first business venture was in 1883, when, in company with Otis Bige- low, he established a .meat market in Worth- ington, which business he was connected with until 1886. Hle then sold out his in- terest in the firm of Bigelow & Humiston and removed to Los Angeles, Cal., where for two years he was engaged in the real estate business. Returning . to Worthing- ton in July, 1888, he and his brother, W. 1. Ilumiston, bought out the hardware store of J. F. Humiston and established the house of . W. I. Humiston & Co. The brothers conducted this business until 1898, wben they sold out. Since that time they have maintained a partnership in the ownership of several farms in Nobles county, northern Minnesota and North Dakota, and are ex- tensive land owners.
Mr. llumiston has served one term on the Worthington village council, having been elceted in March, 1892. He was elected clerk of the district court of Nobles county in the fall of 1898, again in 1902, and again in 1906, making a continuous service of nearly ten years. He is a republican and is prominent in the councils of his party in county and state.
In 1886 occurred the marriage of Mlr. Humiston to Miss Gertrude Warren, daughter of Dr. Warren, one of the pioneer settlers of Worthington. Mrs. Humiston died in 1892. To this union was born one child. Gladys, born February 20, 18SS. In 1897 Mr. Humiston was united in marriage to Miss Genevieve Finlleo, to whom have been born three daughters, Dorothy, Genevieve and Ruth, the last named dying in 1905.
WESTERN M. CLINE owns and farms 400 acres of land in Summit Lake township. Ile is a native of Butler county, Iowa. where he was born Jan. 23, 1864. IJe is one of a family of eight children: Frank M., John C., Erwin E., Mattie J., Western M .. Milan S., Minnie A. and Lillie A. The father of
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
this family was Alexander Cline, who was born in Lycoming county, Pa., and who moved to Butler county, Iowa, becoming one of the pioneer settlers of that part of the state. He spent the greater part of his life there, and died near Lawton, Oklahoma, July 24, 1903, aged 73 years and 7 months. Our subjeet's mother was Elizabeth (McCollum) Cline, also a native of Pennsylvania. She died at Bristow, Iowa, Nov. 28, 1899, aged 65 years.
Our subjeet spent nearty his entire life in Butler county. He was educated in the dis- triet sehools and after growing to manhood engaged in farming. He sold out in the spring of 1900, and on March 6, of that year, arrived in Nobles county. 1Ie located on his farm-the north half of section 9, Sum- mit Lake which he had purchased in the fall of 1898. The farm was then raw prairie and unimproved in any way. Ife has spent several thousand dollars in bringing it up to his present condition. Ile added to his original farm in 1902 by the purchase of eighty acres in seetion 4.
Mr. Cline was married in Butler county, lowa, May 24, 1887, to Miss Alta Gatliff, a native of Kansas and a daughter of Reese B. and Harriette Gatliff. Mr. and Mrs. Cline are the parents of three children: Parley L., Eola M. and Zenas R.
Our subjeet and his wife are members of the . Presbyterian church of Reading. He is a member of the M. W. A. and Royal Neigh- bors lodges. and a stockholder in the Farm- ers Mutual Telephone company of Reading. During the last seven years he has been a member of the Summit Lake township hoard, and during the last four years has been treasurer of the school distriet.
F. W. STANTON is cashier of the der- man State Bank of Ellsworth and has lived in that village thirteen years. He is a na- tive of Newcastle county, Delaware, where he was born Dec. 14, 1855, the son of Isaae B. and Seraphina Stanton, both of whom are dead.
At the age of fifteen years Mr. Stanton moved from his native county to Chester, l'a., and in 1875 located at Bloomington, Ill. Ife eame to Minnesota in 1885 and for ten years made his home in Rock county. He took up his residence in Ellsworth in 1895,
and from that date until Jan. ], 1897, man- aged the elevator of E. A. Brown. Ile then took the position of cashier of the Citizens Bank, now the German State Bank, and has since condueted the bank's affairs. The in- stitution was formerly styled the Citizen's Bank and opened for business Oct. 1, 1893. Brown and Huntington, of Luverne, were the owners. A reorganization was affected July 23, 1903, when the German State Bank took the place of the old institution. It has a paid up eapital of $15,000, with about twenty stockholders, nearly all of whom are residents of Nobles county. The officers are: E. A. Brown, president; Poppe Hiekman, vice presi- dent; F. W. Stanton, casbier; W. F. Mar- ten, assistant cashier. Besides his business interests Mr. Stanton takes an interest in loeal publie matters. He was a member of the Ellsworth school board several terms and at present is a member of the village eouneil, and served several terms as president of the eouncil. He is a K. P. and a member of the Methodist ehureb.
Mr. Stanton's marriage occurred at Bell- flower, Ill., Mareh 4, 1882, when he wedded Miss Anna V. Skidmore, a native of Illinois and a daughter of George and Margaret Skidmore. To them have been born four children, as follows: Cleo M., born June I, 1888; Morgi S., born May 10, 1891; Dela- ware T., born March 5, 1895, and Alice M., born Ang. 5, 1897.
JOHN MeCARTHY, Little Rock township farmer, has made his home on the farm where he now resides ever since he was seven years of age. He is a native of the city of Boston, where he was born Jan. O. 1873, the son of the late Dennis MeCarthy and Catherine (Collins) MeCarthy.
Dennis MeCarthy was born in the county of Cork, Ireland, on Christmas day, IS40, and resided in his native land until 24 years of age, engaging in farming. He arrived in the new world Ang. 15, 1864, and located in Boston, where he worked at the paving busi- ness. Ile was united in marriage at Boston on Feb. 19, 1865, to Catherine Collins, who survives her husband and resides on the Lit - the Rock farm. To them were born the fol lowing children: Dannie, Nellie, Mary, John and Dennis. The first three named are de- ceased. The other two reside with their
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
mother. Deunis Mccarthy died Nov. 30, 1004.
It was on the first day of April. ISSO. that the family arrived in Adrian as members of the Irish Catholic Colonization association, determined to make their future homes in Nobles county. The father bought the south- east quarter of section 17, Little Rock town- ship, and that has been the family home ever since.
John McCarthy has been engaged in farm- ing the home place for the last fifteen years. In addition to the home farm he now owns an eighty acre traet on section 7. Hle is a member of the Catholic church and is un. married.
JOHN S. COX. a well known resident of Nobles county, resides on his farm in (1- ney township, two miles northeast of Ad- rian. He was born in Towanda, Ill., in 1865. Later he moved with his parents to Gibson City. In ISSO he married Miss Dineen, of Ottawa, Ill.
Mr. Cox moved to Adrian about twenty years ago where he engaged in farming and stock raising. He has at present about twenty-five head of Aberdeen- Angus cattle.
The family of Mr. Cox consists of five daughters and four sons. The oldest dangh- tor resides in Chicago, and the others live af home.
CHARLES S. MUCK. The oldest settler residing in Nobles county is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch, now a resl- dent of Kinbrac. Forty-one years is the period of his residence in Nobles county a record held by no other person.
Charles Muck is the son of Stephen and Ionisa (Brumban) Muck, and was born in Schuyler county, Ill., April 27. 1865. His mother died in the year of his birth, and the next year his father took the children to Dallas county, Jowa. In the latter part of May, 1867. when the subject of this sletch was two years old the family moved to Jackson, Minn. There the children ro- mained until the fall of the year and then joined the father on his claim on Graham lake in Nobles county.
Charles Muck has ever since made his home in the county. He received his edu- cation in the country schools of Graham
Lakes township, the first school he attended being in the open under a large elm tree on the island in Graham lake. Ile worked on his father's farm during boyhood days and made his home on the original homestead until 1901. That year he moved to Kin- brae, which place has since been his home. During the latter part of his residence on the farm he served four or five years as township supervisor.
JOIN B. BRUNS is one of the early set- tlers and successful farmers of Willmont township. Ile owns 440 acres of land in Willmont township, all within a short dis- tance of his home farm, which is the north- east quarter of section 29. His wife owns 40 acres on section 27, in the same town- ship.
Mr. Bruns is a native of Hanover, Ger- many, where he was born June 18, 1843, the son of Henry and Mary (Huser) Bruns, both deceased. Until he was thirty-two years of age he resided in his native land. At the age of twelve years he began work ing at the carpenter's trade, followed that occupation during all the time he lived in the old country, and became a highly skilled workman.
On the tenth day of June, 1875, Mr. Bruns arrived in the new world, landing at Balti- more. He moved at once to Shakopee. Scott connty, Minn., where for one year he worked at his trade. Ile then went to Defiance, Ohio, worked at his trade there one year. and then returned to Shakopee. He con- timed working at his trade there until Isso, with the exception of three months in 1885. which were spent on a visit to his old home in Germany.
In the spring of 1886 Mr. Bruns came to Nobles county, bought the northeast quar- ter of section 29, Willmont township, for which he paid $7.25 per acre, and on Octo- ber 13, of the same year. moved onto the place with his family. He has made his home on the farm ever since, and has added to his possessions until he has property as noted above. He has worked at his trade some since coming to the county, and a monument to his work are the fine buildings on his farm, all of which he erected him- self. lle has one of the many fine farm homes of Willmont township.
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Mr. Bruns was married at Defiance, Ohio, Oct. 25, 1877, to Mary C. Schmitz, daughter of William and Tekla (Eising) Schmitz. Mrs. Bruns was born in kreis Pappenburg, Germany, Ang. 23, 1849. This marriage has resulted in the birth of the following named children : Mary (Mrs. Frank Diek- man). of Leota township, born Dee. 19, 1878; Henry, born Jan. 12. 1881; John B., Jr., horn Aug. 20, 1882; William G., born April 19, 1884; Annie IT., born Nov. 19, 1885, died Dee. 23, 1891; Joseph J., born June 12, 1891. The family are members of the Catholic church of St. Kilian.
Mr. Bruns was one of the organizers of the Willmont Mutual Fire Insurance com- pany and has served as a director of the company ever since it was founded in 1895. He served as treasurer of school district No. 66 for nine years.
RUFUS K. DOE, Olney township farmer and breeder of Poland-China hogs, is among the early day settlers of Olney, having re- sided there twenty-six years. Ile is a na- tive of Minnesota, and has resided within the boundaries of the state all his life. He was born at Rochester on Feb. 27, 1866.
Our subjeet's father was Richard K. Doe, who was born in Vermont, but who, when a young man, removed to Lowell, Mass., and engaged in the boot and shoe manufacturing business. In 1864 he came west and settled at Rochester, where he engaged in the whole- sale shoe business. This was before railroads had penetrated into Minnesota very exten- sively, and Mr. Doc employed many men and teams to distribute his goods through- out the state. In 1874 he moved to Clare- mont, Dodge county, and entered into the general merchandise business. Ile sold out in 1882 and came to Nobles county, homestead- ing the northwest quarter of section 6, Olney township. There he farmed until 1884, when he died at the age of 58 years. The mother of our subject was Laura (Bartholomew) Doe, who was born in Buffalo. N. Y., and died in 1883, aged 48 years.
Rufus Doe, of this sketeh, accompanied his parents to Nobles county. and after his father's death purchased the farm from the heirs, and has since been engaged in farm- ing. In 1890 he added to his holdings by the purchase of the east half of the south-
west quarter of section 6. For seventeen years he has served as a member of the board of school district No. 51, and for two years was a supervisor of Olney township.
Mr. Doe was married at Ilamline, Minn., Sept. 10, 1892, to Miss Mary Glovka, who was born in Illinois in 1871. They are the parents of the following children: Flora, Roland. Frank, Lillian, Mamie and Myrtle. the last two named being twins. Mr. and Mrs. Doe are members of the Unitarian church of Adrian.
WILL E. OLIVER, member of the firm of Oliver & Madison, proprietors of a Worth- ington meat market and dealers in live stock, has resided in the county since he was a boy. He was born in New Ipswich, N. II., Oct. 30, 1866, the son of L. C. and Sarah (Harding) Oliver.
L. C. Oliver was one of the pioneer set- tlers o f Nobles county. He was born in New Hampshire, and came to Nobles county in 1878, taking a homestead of 160 acres on section 32, Summit Lake township. IIe took a prominent part in the affairs of his community, and for a time was commander of the G. A. R. post at Worthington. He left the county in 1893 and located at Wa- tonga, Oklahoma, where he engaged in the livery business and where he died April 11. 1906. Our subjeet's mother was born at Auburn, N. Y., in 1842, and died at Peter- boro, N. H., in 1875. Mr. and Mrs. L. C. Oliver were the parents of the following children: Will E., of this sketch; Katie W .. of St. Paul: Gertrude, of Seattle, Wash .; Frank P., who died in Worthington in 1880, aged 11 years.
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