USA > Minnesota > Nobles County > An illustrated history of Nobles County, Minnesota > Part 67
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The family emigrated to the United States in 1870 and came direct to Minnesota. After a short residence in Minneapolis the family home was made at Anoka. In the spring of 1871 Jonas Moberg came to Nobles county for the purpose of obtaining a home in the new country. He filed a homestead claim to the northwest quarter of section 20, Bigelow township, and in the fall of the same year he was joined by his family, who moved onto the claim, in January, 1872. The family home has been on that land ever since. Two total crop failures were experienced during the grasshopper days, and the family sullered much from the other incidents of pioneer life.
Until he was twenty-three and
a half years old Nels worked for his father on the farm, then began farming for himself, buying part of his present farm soon after- ward. lle now owns 160 acres ou sections 26 and 23. He farmed and engaged in stock raising until the spring of 1906. lle then moved to Duluth, where for two years he was a foreman for a contractor who was engaged in street and sewer work. He moved baek to his farm in the spring of 1908. Ile raises stock extensively and makes a spec- ialty of pedigreed Poland China hogs.
Mr. Moberg was married in Bigelow town- ship June 24, 1897, to Ilildegard Peterson, a native of Sweden and a daughter of Alfred and Anna Peterson, of Henning, Minn. To them have been born the following children : Linden Alfred, born Sept. 28, 1898; Edwin Russell, born Nov. 18, 1900; Raymond Eman- nel. born July 13, 1906.
Mr. and Mrs. Moberg are members of the Swedish Baptist church. Mr. Moberg was elected clerk of school district No. 26 in 1881 and held the office continuously until his removal to Duluth in 1906. lle was also a supervisor of Bigelow township for two or three years.
JOIIN MCKENZIE owns and farms the northwest quarter of section 10, Dewald township, which has been his home for a quarter of a century. Mr. Mckenzie was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, June 16, 1861, the son of Ivan and Douglas (Graham) MeKen zie, both deceased.
Our subject was raised on a farm, and lived in his native land twenty-two years. He then came to America and first located at Livingston, Mont., where for a short time he worked in a stone quarry. It was in 1883 that he came to Nobles county and lo cated on the place where he has ever since lived, buying the farm some time after his arrival.
Mr. Mckenzie was married in Nobles coun- ty Jan. 24, 1888, to Mary E. Daugherty, daughter of the late Robert Daugherty. 1o them have been born the following children : Ivie, Stewart and Lizzie.
W. F. SCOTT (1861-1908). One of the best known and highly honored residents of Ran- som township was W. F. Scott, who en- gaged in farming there from 1893 until his death, which occurred on Sunday, May 10, 1908.
Mr. Scott was boru in Tama connty, Iowa, May 4, 1861, the son of J. II. and Elizabeth (Hawkins) Scott. The father was a native of Ohio, lived respectively in Indiana, Il- linois and Iowa, being one of the early settlers of the latter state. Ile died in lowa iu 1890, aged 69 years. The mother was a native of Kentucky and descended from one of the old colonial families.
In his native county Mr. Scott secured an education and spent the greater part of his life. Until he was of age he worked on his father's farm and thereafter, until his arrival in Nobles county, he engaged in farming for himself in Tama county. the spring of 1893 he moved to Nobles county and bought the northwest quarter of section 14, Ransom township, upon which he engaged in farming until his death. He was a member of the Ransom Methodist church.
Mr. Scott was married Jan. 8. 1891. in Tama county, to Miss Ida E. Estle, a native of Ohio, and a daughter of Daniel Estle. a native of Pennsylvania and an early settler of Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Scott were born the following children: Dora, born Dec. 30,
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1892; Bernice, born Sept. 22, 1896; Ke ~- neth, born July 27, 1902.
WILLIAM F. MARTEN, of Ellsworth, was born in Grundy county, lowa, Sept. 10, 1875, the son of John and Eureka (Miller) Marten. The father was born in Ham- berg. Germany, in 1836, came to the Uni ted States in 1863 and located in Free- port, Ill. Later he moved to Grundy county, lowa, where he died Sept. IS, 1894. Mrs. Marten was also born in Hamberg, Ger- many. She is now living at Los Angeles, California.
William was raised ou his father's farm and resided iu Grundy county until 1896. lle then moved to Lyon county, lowa, four and one-half miles south of Ellsworth, Mlinn., where he engaged in farming live years. lfe then moved to Grand Prairie towashup and for four years farmed the place he bought west of Ellsworth. He moved to Ellsworth in 1905 and has since resided there iu one of the finest residences of the town. Ile farms eighty acres in Grand Prairie, south of the village. In addi- tion to the place he farms, ho owns : 20/ acres in Lyon county and another eighty acre tract in Grand Prairie, all of which he rents.
Mr. Marten was married in Grundy county, lowa, March 21, 1898, to lda Whaylen, a native of Grundy county. To them have been born three children: Erline, deceased; Excelda and Norma.
When the German State Bank was organ- ized Mr. Marten was chosen one of the directors and served as such one year. He then took the position of assistant cashier and worked in the bank one year. lle still holds the office. He is treasurer of the Ellsworth lire department and a member of the K. P. Lodge.
JAMES M. PAINE, of Worthington, is a retired farmer who has made his home in Nobles county twenty-five years, the great- or part of that time as a farmer in ller- Hey township.
He was born in Providence county. Rhode Island, July 18, 1831, and descends from one of the carly American families. The American branch of the Paine family was
founded by Benjamin Paine, who came from England aud settled in Massachusetts. He was born in 1096. One of his sons, from whom our subject descends in a direct line, was Nathan Paine, born May 18, 1726, died in 1804. One of the latter's sons -grandfather of our subject-was also named Nathan. He was born in Rhode Island in 1755 and died Ang. 1, 1794. One of Nathan's sons was James Paine, the father of our subject. He was born in Providence county, Rhode Island, June 14, 1789, and died in the same place in 1802. Our subject's mother was Mary (Say- los) Paine, who was born in Rhode Island in 1793 aud died in 1842. Of their family three children are still living-Mrs. Sarah Vibee, of Houston county, Miun .; Dutse S. Paine, of Forsythe, Mont .; and the sub- ject of this biography.
Mary (Sayles) Paine's father was Chrisco- pher Paine, a descendant of Roger Williams. She was one of a family of eleven children, six brothers and five sisters. Roger Withams, who came to this country with the Pilgrims, was the founder of the original Rhode island colony.
Mr. Paine resided in Rhode Island uutil he was twenty years of age. in the spring of 1854 he moved to Houston county, Minn., bought a farm there and made that his home for eleven years. Ile then sold out and moved to Grundy county, lowa, where he engaged in farming eighteen years. In 1883 he came to Nobles county and settied in llersey township. There he bought the rast half of the southeast quarter of see- tion 32 and took as a timber claim the west half of the southeast quarter and the south half of the northeast quarter of the same seetion as a treo claim. lle lived on his farm until November, 1906, when he turned the management of his property over to his sons, and moved to Worthington, where he has since lived a retired life. During his long residence in llersey township Mr. Paine took an active part in the local government. In the spring of 1884 he was elected chair- man of the board of supervisors and held the office eighteen consecutive years,
In Webster, Mass., on Sept. 15, 1853, oc- curred the marriage of Mr. Paine to Ruth Flizabeth Shumway, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Noah Shumway, of Vermont. To this union were born the following children : Martha A., James Sayles, Rufus Monroe and
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Amy, all living except the first named. Mrs. Paine died in September, 1863. Mr. Paine's second mariage occurred in Houston county, Minn., April 15, 1864, when he led to the altar Nancy Jane Thorp, a descendant of another old American family. The Thorps were originally from Pennsylvania, but later migrated to Ohio. To Mr. and Mrs. Paine have been born eight children, of whom the following five are living: Minerva Jane (Mrs. James Selby), llersey township; Ed- gar R., of Worthington; Charles Jackson, of Hersey township; Cora (Mrs. William Ilans- berger), of Worthington; Walter llarold, of Hersey township. Mr. and Mrs. Paine are members of the First Methodist church of Worthington.
LAMBERT BROMMER owns and farms a half seetion of land in Grand Prairie town- ship, where he has lived for the last eleven years. He was born in Emden, Germany, Oct. 18, 1860, the son of Lambert and Mat- tie (Foss) Brommer. The father, who was a farmer, was born in 1813 and died in his native land in 1897. The mother is still living in Emden. She was born in 1826.
Lambert was raised ou his father's farm, secured an education in bis native land and resided there until 1882. lle landed in New York on May 23 of the last named year and located permanently in Logau county, III., where he resided seven years, working out at farm work. After spending one year work- ing in Barton county, Kansas, he returned to Logan county and for two years more work- ed on the farm. He then returned to his old home in Germany, and after spending the winter there, came baek and made his home in Lyon county, lowa. Hle farmed on rented land there five years. Coming to No- bles county in 1897, he bought the salf see tion of land on seetions 15 and 14 and has ever since been engaged in farming it.
Mr. Brommer was married at Rock Rap- ids, Iowa, Feb. 13, 1891, to Lena Freeks, who was born in Illinois. She died Oct. 30, 1903. To Mr. and Mrs. Brommer were born eleven children, all of whom live at home with their father.
FREDERICK A. TURNER. One of the early settlers of Westside township is the gentleman whose name heads this sketch.
He has resided on the farm where he now lives the southwest quarter of section 20 - ever since the fall of 1877. In addition to his home farm he owns eighty aeres in Rock county.
Mr. Turner was born in Dyersville, lowa: Sept. 1, 1852, the son of Alfred and Annie (Talbot) Turner. Alfred Turner was born in England Aug. 22, 1830, and came to the United States in 1852. lle lived in Dyers. ville, lowa, until 1866, in St. Charles, Minn., until May, 1904, and in Magnolia, Minn. until his death, which occurred Jan. 2, 1905. lje was a tailor by trade and followed that occupation all his life. He conducted a tailoring establishment in England aud was in the same business in Dyersville and St. Charles until 1901. Our subjeet's mother was born in Westpenard, Somersetshire, England, July 4, 1833. She now makes her home with her son in Westside township.
The first thirteen years of the life of our subjeet were spent in his native village. le moved with the family to St. Charles in 1865 and there made his home until his ar- rival to Nobles county. In 1873 he began working at the blacksmith trade, and fol- lowed that occupation until he came to the county. In' November, 1877, Mr. Turner came and purchased his present farm in Westside township, then unimproved, and has bren engaged in farming there ever since.
Mr. Turner was married in St. Charles Feb. 19, 1881, to Pauline Zimmerman, who was born in Ashford, Fond du Lac county, Wis. She is the daughter of Michael F. and Dorothy (Zickeriek) Zimmerman, both deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Turner have been born the following children: Alfred F., born Sept. 30, 1882; Henry J., born Nov. S, 1884; Johu .A., born April 6, 1887; Earl 1., born Jan. 14, 1889.
During two terms Mr. Turner served as a director of school district No. 50. lle is a member of the M. W. A. of Magnolia.
JOIIN B. KLENKEN is a retired farmer of St. Kilian. He was born in Germany May 15, 1845, the youngest of a family of six children .. Ilis parents were John B. and Helen (Weyer) Klenken, both of whom died in their native country, the former in 1847. the latter in 1858.
Ar. Klenken came to the United States in
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
Is75, lived one year in Cincinnati, Ohio, and then engaged in farming in Carroll county, lowa, until 189t. lle then moved to Lyon county, lowa. farmed until 1899, when he moved to Nobles county. He bought the sonthwest quarter of section 23, Willmont township, where he engaged in farming until the fall of 1907. llo then rented his farm and moved to St. Kilian, where he lives a retired life.
In Carroll county. lowa, Mr. Klenken was married. in ISZ7, to Miss Christiana Lonne- man, a native of Germany. She died in 1896 at the age of 39 years. By this marriage three children were born Mary, Frank and Benjamin. The second marriage of Mr. Klenken occurred at Cincinnati July S, 1903, when he wedded Mrs. Agnes (Thienneman) Speiker, who was born in Germany July 4, Istil. By her former marriage Mrs. Klenken is the mother of one child -Mary Speiker born March 27, 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Klenken are members of the Catholic church. Mr. Klenken is treasurer of school district No. 16, an office he has held during the last eight years.
ALEXANDER MONTGOMERY, retired farmer of Brewster, was born in Fayette county, Pa., Dec. 23, 1828. llis father was Samuel Montgomery, who was born in Penn- sylvania and died at the age of 70 years. flis mother was Elizabeth (Campbell) Mont- gomery, who was born in Ireland, came lo America at the age of IG years, and died at the age of 90 years.
Mr. Montgomery of this sketeh was edu- rated in the common schools of his native county, where he resided until 1863. lle then moved to Illinois and engaged in farm- ing eighteen years. From Illinois he moved to Jackson county, Minn., and a little later to Hersey township. in Nobles county. Ile owns 250 acres of land in Hersey town- ship.
Mr. Montgomery was married in 1858 to Sarah Stofer, and to them have been born ton children, of whom the following seven are living: James, John and Alex, of Worth- ingion; Mrs. Charles Buckeye. of Heron Take; Seymour, of Brewster; Mrs. Eva Ber- reau, of Currie; Mrs. Betsy Pation, of Dan- ville, Ill. The three deceased children were named Frank, Dora and Mary Jane.
JOIN HERBERT, of Olney township, was born in Lasalle county, Ill., Aug. 23, 1867, the son of Patrick and Margaret ( Faland) Herbert, natives of Ireland. The father was bern in 1822, came to the United States when a young man and settled in Canada. Later he lived in Illinois and lowa, and came to Nobles county with his son, where he now makes his home. Margaret Herbert died in Cherokee county, Iowa, in 1897, aged 68 years.
In Lasalle county, Illinois, John Herbert made his home during the first eighteen years of his life, going to school and work- ing on his father's farm. The family then moved to Cherokee county, lowa, where our subject resided until the spring of 1897. Hle then moved to Olney township, bought the northwest quarter of section 24, and has since made his home there, his father, two brothers and one sister making their homes with him. Ile had a finely improved place, having erected all the buildings since he pur- chased the farm.
In addition to his home farm Mr. Her- bert owns, in partnership with his brothers, 100 acres in section 3, Olney, 160 aeres in Traverse county, and a half interest in the northeast quarter of section 1, Olney. Mr. Herbert is unmarried.
JONATHAN J. BINGHAM has been a resi- dent of Worthington twenty-six years. Ile was born in Montgomery county, N. Y., Oet. 13, 1837. His father was Ralph II. Bing- ham, who was born in Montgomery county, N. Y., and who died in Oswego county of the same state in the fall of 1867 at the age of 56 years. His mother was Sarah ( Baird) Bingham, who was also a native of New York state; she died in Oswego county March 15, 1903, aged ninety years.
When J. J. Bingham was sixteen years okl he moved with his parents to Onondago county, N. Y., where he completed his edu- eation and where he engaged in farming until 1862. That year he enlisted in eom- many B, of the 122nd New York volunteer infantry, and served until the elose of the war. He was mustered out of the United States service at Washington and out of the state service at Syracuse, N. Y., July 3, 1865. His regiment was a part of the Sixth army corps, commanded by General Segwick,
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
and his service was with the army of the Potomac. He took part in some of the severest fighting of the civil war, participat- ing in the battles of Fredericksburg, Gettys- burg, Wilderness, l'etersburg and other noled engagements. On May 6, 1864, Mr. Bingham was wounded at the battle of the Wilder- hess and was off duty until in the fall, when he rejoined his regiment at Fisher Hill.
After the war Mr. Bingham located in Oswego county, N. Y., where he engaged in farming until the fall of ISS2. lle then moved to Worthington, and that village has been his home ever since. For three years he was associated with Mitchell Bros. in the butter and egg business, and since that time has been engaged in various occupations. Mr. Bingham is a member of Stoddard l'ost No. 34, G. A. R., and was one of the charter members of the post. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and of the A. O. U. W. lodge. For several years he held the office of oil inspector for the counties of Nobles and Cottonwood.
Mr. Bingham was married in Oswego eoun- ty, N. Y., Nov. 7, 1866, to Miss Adaline Snyder, a native of Otsego county. To them were born three children, of whom one-Miss Laura Bingham, a school teacher-is living. One child died in infancy. Thomas Il. died Dec. 22, 1883, aged twelve years.
JOHN WHELAN owns and farms 200 aeres of land in Summit Lake township, his home place being on the southeast quarter of sec- tion 12. Ile is a native of Kings county, fre- land, and was born Aug. 3, 1870. His father was a gardener, William Whelan by name. Ile died in his native land in January, 1876, at the age of 55 years. The mother of our subject is Bessie (Coololan) Whelan, who is now eighty years of age and who makes her home with her son.
In the fall of 1883, accompanied by his mother and two sisters, John Whelan came to America. For eight years the family lived in Benton county. fowa, and then moved to Nobles connty. It was in the spring of 1892 that Mr. Whelan came to the county and bought of Peter Thompson, of Worth- ington, the farm upon which he has ever since resided.
Mr. Whelan was married in Summit Lake township May 22, 1901, to Minnie Mohr,
daughter of Fred Mohr, of Elk township. Mr. Whelan is a member of the Catholic church and of the Odd Fellows lodge of Worthington.
HENRY P. W. PFINGSTEN, of Seward township, is the son of the late August Pfingsten, who was one of the best known men of Seward township, and in whose honor the Pfingsten postoffice was named. August l'fingsten was a native of Germany; he died at his home in Seward in 1900. The mother of our subject is Mary (Dizeness) Plingsten, who now resides in Fulda.
Henry Pfingsten was born in Crete, Will county, Ill., Feb. 19, 1870, but when less than one year old his parents moved to Iro- quois county, in the same state. There the family lived until 1887, llenry attending the public schools and helping with the farm work. After the removal to Nobles county he lived with his parents until bis marriage in 1895. That event occurred on Nov. 12, the lady of his choice being Cathrina Tam- men. Eight children have been born to this nnion: Clara, August, Martin, Katie, Mary, I mma, Lizzie and Henry, all living.
After his marriage Mr. Pfingsten inoved onto his present farm, the south half of the southeast quarter of seetion 18, which he had taken as a homestead, and that has been his home since. lie has served two years as justice of the peace, three years as constable, and is now a director of school district No. 98, having been elected in 1907. Mr. Pfingsten is a member of the Lutheran church of Pfingsten.
FRANK R. COUGHIRAN, Worthington's postmaster, was born at Reedsburg, Wis., Feb. 12, 1858. His father was Samuel Cough- ran, born in Vermont May 8, 1828, died at Sioux Falls Dec. 1, 1891. Ilis mother is Martha A. (Reed) Coughran, a native of New York state.
When Frank was seven years old the family moved to Sparta, Wis., and there he was raised and received his education. At the age of 20 years, in June, 1878, he went to Sioux Falls, S. D., and entered the em ploy of the American Express Co., opening the first express office in the city. With that firm Mr. Coughran was connected praeti-
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BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY.
cally all the time up to 1882, when he moved to Huron and took a homestead land of which he is still the owner. For a period of six years while in lluron he was in the railroad mail service, opening the Columbia- Iluron mail route on the Northwestern line.
From Huron Mr. Coughran returned to Sioux Falls and entered the employ of his brother, E. W. Conghran. There he resided until November, 1891, when he came to Worthington and took the management of the Worthington hotel. lle conducted the hotel until May 1, 1897. In November of the same year Mr. Coughran was appointed postmaster of Worthington by President Wit- liam MeKinley and has held the office since that date. He is a member of the Masonie and Workmen orders.
Mr. Coughran was married at Sparta, Wis., Oct. 24, 1886, to Stella Dickinson, daughter of S. N. Diekinson, who was a famous crim- inal lawyer. Mr. Dickinson died at Super- ior, Wis., where he made his home during the later years of his life. To Mr. and Mrs. Coughran has been born one daughter, Jose- phine M., born at Sioux Falls March 24, 18SS.
THEODORE HINRICKS. after having worked nearly all his life at the blacksmith trade, in 1900 moved onto his Worthington township farm, where he has since been en- gaged in the less strenuous work of till- ing the soil. Ile has been a resident of No- bles county for the last twenty-six years. Ile was born in Dane county, Wis., Jan. 21, 1857, the son of Theodore llinrieks and Christiana (Dinricks) Hinricks. Ilis father was born in Germany in 1817 and died Nov. 12, 1885. His mother was born in Ger- many May 17, 1824, and is still living, re- siding in Middleton, Wis.
Mr. Ilinricks' boyhood days were spent in his native county. There he secured a com- mon school education and spent two years as an apprentice at the blacksmith trade. In March, 1878, he departed for Butler, Kansas, in which place he resided one year, working at his trade and at farm work. lle next went to Pueblo, Col., but after work- ing in a shop two months, returned cast. lle was in Emumnetsburg, lowa, a few months, a few more at Canton, S. D., and in the summer of 1880, we find him at Luverne,
Minn. In the harvest fields of Rock county he worked for a while and made his head- quarters in Luverne until about the holidays. Ile then went back to his old home in Dane county, Wis., where he passed the winter. The following spring he set out and worked short period> in Wittemore, lowa, Sibley, Worthington and Adrian. For a time during the summer he worked in Dan Fish's black- smith shop in Bigelow township, and in the fall worked for a time in that gentleman's shop in Worthington. From that time up to March, 1882, we find him working at his trade in Mankato, Janesville, Waseca, and in Imane county, Wis.
In March, 1882, he returned to Worthing- ton, and in partnership with Dan Fish open- ed a blacksmith shop. They operated the shop four years, and then Mr. linricks sold his interest to his partner. On November 25, 1886, he and James Mackay purchased the Fish shop, and for seven years operated it in partnership. Ile then purchased Mr. Mac- kay's interest and leased the shop to Dan Fish and Fred Olson. For the next few years Mr. Hinricks was engaged in setting up machinery as an expert for several dif- ferent implement houses. On November 9, 1900, he moved onto his farm, the north- east quarter of section 5, Worthington town- ship, which he had purchased several years lu fore, and there he has lived since.
On November 17, 1885, at Worthington, oe- eurred the marriage of Mr. linricks to Miss Minnie Estes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gardner Estes, pioneer settlers of Elk town- ship. Mrs. Hlinricks was born at Spencer, N. Y. Two chikiren, Fannie and Theodora, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Hinricks.
SIMON ANDERSON has been engaged in farming in Summit Lake township for the last twenty years. Ile is a native of Nor- way, having been born in Christiansan May 10, 1868. Ilis parents, Anders Johnson and Annie (Sanders) Johnson, still reside in their native land, he aged 70 years and she 68 years.
In 1880 Simon Anderson came to America and located at Rock Valley, Sioux county, lowa, where he lived for several years. In the public school of Rock Valley and a school near Hull, lowa, he completed his education, which had been begun in Nor-
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