An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 71

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 924

USA > Minnesota > Rock County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 71
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 71

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In addition to his farming, Mr. Halvor- son has several business interests. He is a stockholder in the Hills Creamery com- pany. For three years he was a director of the company and for two years was its vice president. He has been secretary of the Martin Township Farmers Telephone association for several years. He has stock in the Farmers Elevator company of Valley Springs. He was one of the in- corporators of the Farmers State Bank of Hills and has ever since been a direto of the same. He has been a local corre- spondent for the Hills Crescent since 1905. lle holds membership in the Synod church.

GEORGE A. LOHR (1889), a progressive Magnolia township farmer for the past twenty-two years, is a native of Franklin county, Pennsylvania, where his mother and father, Jacob and Elizabeth (Fautz) Lohr were also born. January 11, 1855, is the date of his nativity.

The first twenty years of George Lohr's life were spent on his father's farm in the Keystone state. Ile secured his early edu- cation in the district schools of the vi- cinity. in 1874 George came west and located in Benton county, lowa, which, with the exception of four years, was his

home until 1889, the date of his advent to Rock county. During the four years re- ferred to our subject returned east and completed his education, graduating from Vinton academy. On his return to Benton county he engaged in teaching school dur- ing the winter months and doing farm work in the summer. The last three years of his residence there he engaged in farming for himself.

Upon his arrival in Rock county he pur- chased his present farm, the northeast quarter of section 4, Magnolia township. A wild tract of prairie land when it came into his possession, in the course of de- velopment it has come to be one of the finely improved farms in the township. An elegant modern residence was erected thereon during the year 1909. Mr. Lohr has taken an active interest in local af- fairs. He is at the present and has been continuously for fifteen years past a mem- ber of the board of township supervisors, serving a portion of the long term as the board's chairman. For fourteen years he has served school district No. 6 as its clerk. He is a member of the Magnolia lodge, M. W. A.

At Hooppole, Illinois, on April 28, 1886, Mr. Lohr was united in marriage to Anna Rapp, a native of Henry county, Illinois. They are the parents of the following chii- dren: Mabel, born April 17, 1888; Lester, born November 1, 1890; Earl, born Novem- ber 9, 1893; and Clarence, born June 26, 1903.

EINAR C. DAHL (1885) is the secretary of two of the leading business enterprises in the thriving town of Hills, namely, the Hills Mercantile company and the Hills Co- operative Creamery company. He is a na- tive of Norway, the date of his birth being August 22, 1873, and is the son of Charles and Eli Dahl. The mother died in Norway, but Charles Dahl, who came to America in 1885, resides at Rock Rapids, lowa.

Einar was in his twelfth year when he crossed the Atlantic, and on landing at New York came direct to Rock connty. For the first three years his summers were spent working on a Martin township farn: and during the other seasons he was a student in the Luverne public schools. For

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two years thereafter he was employed in a tow mill at Rock Rapids, Iowa. In 1893 he moved on to a Lyon county farm, three miles south of Hills, which was purchased by Mr. Dahl and his father. He farmed the place until August, 1908, when he moved to Hills to assume the management and secretaryship of the Hills Mercantile company, of which he was one of the in- fluential organizers and is a heavy stock- holder. He also owns considerable stock in the Hills Co-operative Creamery com- pany, of which he is the secretary. He is also the owner of farm land in Lyon coun- ty, Iowa, and of property in Hills, While living on the farm in Lyon county he serv- ed for three years as road supervisor and was a member of the district school board.

Mr. Dahl was married at Rock Rapids May 27, 1899, to Olena Olson, a native of Norway, who came to this country at the age of fifteen years. Mr. and Mrs. Dahl have four children: Emma, Carl, Arvid and Elmer. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge and of the United Norwegian Lu- theran church.

The Hills Mercantile company is one of the largest business concerns in southern Rock county. It was organized early in 1903 by a number of the representa- tive business men of Hills and farmers in the vicinity. Established essentially to conduct a grain elevator, the business has expanded until now the concern deals in many staples of merchandise, chiefly flour, feed and other mill stuffs. The incor- porators were E. C. Loose, John Hilgerson, A. T. Sexe, O. G. Qualley, H. E. Wyum, T. Johnson, E. C. Dahl, John Nelson and P. H. Bly. The present officers of the com- pany are: President. O. G. Qualley; vice president, E. B. Johnson; secretary and manager, E. C. Dahl; treasurer, Cari Wood- row. These officers together with A. T. Sexe, G. D. Nelson, F. J. Miller and Nels Iverson constitute the board of directors.

The Hills Co-operative Creamery com- pany, in which our subject is heavily in- terested, was established in 1897 and is controlled by an organization of promi- nent farmers, there being at the present time a total of 102 share-holders in the enterprise. For the past nine years the company has returned dividends averaging ten per cent of the capital stock. During

its existence the creamery has paid out more than a quarter of a million dollars to its patrons. The average price paid for butter fat during 1909 was twenty-nine cents per pound. The present board of directors consists of O. G. Qualley, A. C. Finke, E. C. Dahl and F. C. Nuffer. The trustees are A. T. Sexe, B. E. Rossum and Nels Iverson. The following is the staff of officers: President, O. G. Qualley ; vice president, A. C. Finke; secretary, E. C. Dahl; treasurer, F. C. Nuffer. Andrew Ilansen is the expert butter maker.

DR. CHARLES O. WRIGHT (1898), a leading medical practitioner in Luverne, of which city he is also the mayor, is a native son of Minnesota and comes from a family of state pioneers. His father, John Wright, came to America from his native land, England, during his youth and in 1851 made settlement in the North Star state, selecting his residence near ti town of Point Douglas, Washington coun- ty. Elizabeth Stevens, who became the wife of John Wright, is a Canadian by birth and preceded her future husband to Minnesota by one year. The Stevens family located at Cottage Grove, also in Washington county. After long and active careers of good works, Mr. and Mrs. John Wright now live in retirement in the city of Hastings. Seven children were born to this union, all of whom are living. They are W. J., of Hastings; Asa, who operates the old home farm; Dr. Charles O., of this review; Mrs. T. M. Heathington, of St. Paul: Mrs. Alfred Perkins, of Newport, Minnesota; Mrs. B. T. King, of Hastings; and Mrs. Fred Maelicke, of Boise, Idaho.

On the old Washington county farm, the twenty-sixth of May, 1864, occurred the na- tivity of our subject. After completing the high school course at the Hastings school, Charles, having determined upon a physician's career, read medicine and re- ceived instruction along that line in the office of Dr. Thorne, of Hastings, remain- ing there for a year. He then matriculat- ed for a course in medicine at the old Minnescta Hospital college, of Minneapolis. A year later this institution was merged with the St. Paul College of Medicine, and from this combination was created the

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

medical college of the university of Min- nesota. The class of 1890, with which Di. Wright was graduated, was the second class to receive diplomas from the univer- sity's regular college of medicine.

For a year after completing his studies Dr. Wright was employed as physician on the construction work with the Northern Pacific railroad in Montana during the time of the building of the line from Missoula, Montana, to Mullan, Idaho. In the spring of 1891 he located in the town of Kasson, Minnesota, which was his home for seven and one-half years, or until he established his present residence at Luverne, in 1898. Before leaving Kasson he took a post graduate course at the New York City Polyclinic. Dr. Wright has offices in the Rock County Bank block and since locat- ing in Luverne has achieved distinctive success in his chosen profession.

As a leading public-spirited citizen Dr. Wright is always found to the forefront of every movement that means for a bigger and better Luverne, whether it be for civic, moral or social progress. He served for two terms as chairman of the local board of health and is an ex-county physi- cian. 'For two years he presided over the common chy council and in 1907 was ele- vated to the mayor's chair. Again, in 1910, he was called upon to head another suc- cessful administration, and he is at this time the incumbent of the highest office in the gift of the municipality. Dr. Wright is a stockholler in two of Luverne's leading enterprises: the Luverne Automobile com- pany and the Luverne Realty company. He is a prominent figure in fraternal circles and holds membership in the A. F. & A. M., 1. O. O F., K. of P., M. W. A., R. N. A. and .A. O. U. W. lodges, and is medical cx- aminer for all of them, as well as for a number of the old lino companies. The doc- ter is a member of the American Medical association, the Minnesota State Medical society, the Southwestern Minnesota Medi- el society and the Sioux Valley Medical so- ciety, having been president of the latter 'n 1906 and 1909.

At Kasson, on October 1, 1893, Dr. Charles O. Wright was married to Nanna D. Ruhberg, a native of that Dodge county town. To this union have been born the following named three children: Donald

R., C. Osborn, who died at the age of four- teen months, and Helen C.

HANS T. AUSEN (1881+, of Rose Dell township, has resided in . Rock county since he was seven years of age, and that continuously on one place, the south- west quarter of section 22, land homestead- ed by his father. A native of Norway, he was born in Skjismo on January 14, 1874.

He came to America with his parents, Martin H. and Ellen ( Hauglid) Ausen, in 1881. The family journeyed direct to Rock county, the father filing a homestead claim to the land described above. Hans was educated in the district schools of Rose Dell and assisted his father in the management of the home farm until 1907, when he rented the place and has since conducted it for his own advantage. The parents are now residents of Jasper. Mr. Ausen is a successful stock raiser and

makes a specialty

oť

Belgian

horses,

Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. He has been a member of the township board for the past eleven years and a school director for seven years. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator com- pany of Jasper and the Jasper Co-operative Mercantile company, of which he is also a clerk.

Our subject was married in Luverne on February 12, 1907, to Emma Bieber, the daughter of George J. and Johanna E. ( Eik) Bieber, natives of Germany and Nor- way, respectively. Mrs. Ausen has spent her entire life in Rock county and was born on November 3, 1879. One daughter, Gladys E., was born to this union, on December 2, 1908.

Mr. Ausen dwelt in a sod shanty for fifteen years until 1896. He has in his possession the first horse bought by his father. The faithful animal is now thirty years of age but is still in good working condition. Mr. and Mrs. Ausen are mem- bers of the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

P. B. BOYSEN (1883) is an extensive farmer and large land owner of Clinton township. le farms nearly 500 acres, all his property, which include the west half

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

of section 16 and the northeast quarter of section 17, Clinton township. He is a suc- cessful breeder of high grade stock.

Mr. Boysen is a native of Denmark and was born in Jylland the twenty-fifth day of August, 1860. He is the son of Simen and Anna (Peterson) Boysen, both of whom died in Denmark, the former ten years ago and the mether five years later. Our sub- ject's life of twenty-two years in the land of the Danes was spent on his father's farm, as a student in the country schools, and as a farm laborer. Crossing the Atlantic in 1883, he came direct to Luverne, later in the same year spending four months in the city of Eau Claire. Wisconsin. Hle then re- turned to Rock county.

For the first six years he worked out on different farms in Clinton township and then bought his present home, the northwest quarter of section 16. The raw piece of prairie land of those days has developed into one of the best improved and most at- tractive farms in the precinct. His other property was acquired in later years. Mr. Boysen for six years served school district No. 43 as its treasurer. For two years he was the president of the Farmers Elevator company of Steen, in which company he continues to hold stock. He is also a stock- holder in the Plano Harvester company.

In Steen, on the tenth day of July, 1891. Mr. Boysen was joined in wedlock to Rang- hilda Amalia Steen, the eldest daughter of Ole P. Steen, deceased. She was born in Wisconsin in 1869. The following nine children have been born to these parents: Samnel Olof, born July 12, 1892; Olen Bor- tinius, born February 1, 1894; Arthur Mel- vin, born February 20, 1896; Perry Henry, born October 1, 1898; Bertha Alvina, born April 7, 1901, died July 11, 1902: Henry Steen, born April 4, 1903, died March 8, 1904; Della Fredeina, born December 4, 1904; Clara Almina, born June 27, 1907; Lawrence Sher- man, born December 5, 1908. Mr. Boysen and family are members of the United Lutheran church of Hills.

FRANK E. WELKER (1878) has for the past nine years been president of the Beaver Creek village council and is the proprietor of an industry that has put Beav- er Creek on the map. He is the manufact-

urer of a patent pool game register of his own invention, a product that has a univer- sal sale in all parts of the country, and his plant is the only one of its kind in ex- istence.

The first register that Mr. Welker pro- duced was patented June 30, 1903, but was a very crude affair and failed to entirely answer the requirement. An improvement over the first idea, patented September 8 of the same year, met with more success. A third patent was taken out Jannary 30, 1906, and is the one that stands back of the perfected apparatns that is now being turned out and is in such great demand. The manufacturing plant is up-to-date in every partienlar, with modern appliances and machinery, and the output averages fifty registers a day. Mr. Welker finds it necessary to employ several men to car- ry on the industry, which is a very impor- tant one to the village.

Frank E. Welker has been a resident of Rock county all except the first ten years of his life. He was born near Rochester, Minnesota, March 27, 1868, and is the eldest son of L. S. and Edna (Williams) Welker, who located in Beaver Creek township in 1878. They homesteaded a quarter section and bought a like amount of land in that township. In 1886 with their children they moved to the village and resided there until twelve years ago, when they removed to their present home in Wessington, South Dakota.

Frank obtained his education in the Bea- ver Creek schools. At the age of twenty-one he became a clerk in the store of E. C. Conant and was employed in that capacity for five years. Then with his father he pur- chased the business from Mr. Conant and conducted the store until 1898. On selling, Mr. Welker established a new general store in the village and conducted it five years. Ile traded the business for land and for a year thereafter was employed by the John Lund land ageney. In 1903 he commeneed the manufacturing business in which he is now engaged and of which mention has already been made.

In civic affairs and in all measures that have meant for the improvement and wel- fare of his home town, Mr. Welker has al- ways been actively interested. His service to the village began in 1901 when he

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

was elected to the village council and served two terms. Since then an each succeeding election up to date he has been chosen president of the council by his fellow townsmen. He has also held the office of township treasurer for the past eight years, and for nine years was a member of the local school board. He is a member of the Beaver Creek band and of the Yeo. men lodge.

Mr. Welker was united in marriage to Nannie B. Lukensmyer on May 27, 1900. Mrs. Welker was born in Iowa, the twenty- first day of March, 1874. One daughter, Dorothy, was born to these parents, on No- vember 27, 1903.

HANS HARALDSON (1878) has been identified with the agricultural interests of Rock county since 1878 and now owns and farms the southwest quarter of section 34, Martin township.

Hans Haraldson first saw the light of day in Landspresteld, Norway, on February 19, 1863. When a lad of seven he accompanied his parents, Lars and Olava (Olson), Harald- son, to America and located with them near Waukon, Allamakee county, lowa. In that locality the father rented property and engaged in farming until 1878. In May of that year the Haraldson family, in com- pany with several other Norwegian fam- ilies who had decided to settle in Rock county. Minnesota, of which glowing re- ports had been received, made the journey via the overland route. In the fall Mr. Haraldson homesteaded a quarter on sec- tion 12, Rose Dell township, and continued to make that his home up to the time of his death, July 5, 1908. The respected pioneer was seventy-eight years old at the time of his decease. llis wife lives on the old home- stead and is seventy-nine years of age.

Our subject passed the first five years of his residence in Rock county assisting his father on the home farm and then located on his present farm. The farm on section 34 was homesteaded by Mary Ingerson, who on March 30, 1883, became the wife of Mr. Haraldson. She is the daughter of Iver and Annie Iverson, both deceased. Mrs. Har- aldson was born in Norway February 17, 1$53, came to this country in 1870, and to

Rock county three years later. The young couple at first lived in a rough claim shanty, 14x16 feet in dimension. Since the early clays the farm has been improved and is one of the best in the precinct. In addition to his Rock county holdings, Mr. Ilaraldson has an interest in a quarter section of Red Lake county, Minnesota, land. He is a mem- ber of the Lutheran Synod church of Hills.

To Mr. and Mrs. Haraldson have been born the following children: Clara (Mrs. T. O. Gilleboe), of Hillyard, Washington, born September 16, 1884; Louis, who lives at home, born June 12, 1886; Adolph, of Hill- yard, Washington, born September 6, 1888; Iver, born December 2, 1891; Mabel, born May 6, 1896.

ERLAND JOHNSON (1892) is one of Rock county's progressive farmers. lle started twenty-five years ago with no capital except ambition and willingness to toil, and today he owns one of the most thoroughly improved farms and finest farm homes in Springwater township. His land is located on the southeast quarter of section 21.

Erland Johnson is a native of Sweden and was born in Dalsland April 8, 1866. He received an early education in the common schools and was left an orphan at the age of sixteen years by the death of hoth his parents, who were John and Lena ( Larson) Anderson. The year following this bereave- ment, in 1883, our subject with two younger sisters, one eleven years of age and the oth- er live, undertook the long journey to Amer- ica. They made their home with a sister in Sioux Falls, who had preceded them to this country several years, Erland found employment with a farmer and received as emolument the sum of eight dollars per month. In 1888 he rented land and com- menced farming for himself and was able, two years later, to buy his present Rock county farm, upon which he moved in 1892 and upon which he has resided since. Mr. Johnson was a member of the township board one year and of the school board six years. He owns stock in the Beaver Creek Farmers Elevator company. He and his family are members of the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

In Luverne, on June 6, 1894, Mr. Johnson

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

was married to Ella Johnson, who was born in Norway April 11, 1876, the daughter of John and Christine (Stenerson) Anderson. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. of whom four are dead, Laura and Lena, twins, were born December 1, 1896. The former died the day following her birth, and the latter followed a year later, on December 5, 1897. A. Elmer was born April 12, 1903, and died November 27, 1905. Julia E. was born June 29, 1909, and died May 9, 1910. The following children are living: J. Victor, born May 2, 1895; O. Cecil, born November 8, 1898; Ernest L., born March 2, 1901; and Walter T., born March 6, 1905.

JAMES E. BLACK (1877). For more than a score of years, in consecutive order, the gentleman whose name heads this review has been the sheriff of Rock county. He is held in high esteem by his constituency, not only for fidelity in the discharge of a public trust, hut also for the influence of a rare and winning personality. A pio- neer of the county, he has been anything but a laggard in making possible its onward march of progress.

James E. Black is one in a family of four stalwart sons and as many daughters. whose parents were Elam W. and Amanda (Harrington) Black, both born in Onondaga county, New York, and both buried in Wa- hasha county, Minnesota. He was born in Huron county, Ohio, the third day of De- cember, 1845. When a lad of seven years he removed with his parents to Washing- ton county, Wisconsin, and from there to Jo Daviess county, Illinois. There he re- ceived an education and there he was em- ployed when the great struggle between the north and the south called for the best blood in the land to repair the breach be- tween the disrupted sections of a great na- tion.

Mr. Black enlisted at Warren, Illinois, on August 4, 1862, in company K, Ninety-Sixth* Illinois infantry, with which he served with distinction until discharged at Nashville, Tennessee, on June 11, 1865. Mr. Black's command saw active service in the southern campaign and among other memorable en- gagements participated in the battles of Lookout Mountain, Chickamauga, Kennesaw

Mountain, Aasaka and Nashville. Mr. Black was shot through the left arm at the battle of Chicamauga, and while assisting in the defense of Fort Shaler, he received a nasty wound in the right leg.

Upon the return of peace our subject re- turned to Warren, Illinois, and remained there until the fall of 1866, when he located at Mazeppa, Wabasha county, Minnesota, where he farmed until coming to Rock conn- ty in 1877. He took as a homestead claim the southeast quarter of section 8, Denver township, and lived on his land until 1889, moving that year to the city of Luverne, which has since been his home. During his residence in Denver township Mr. Black served for ten years as chairman of the board of supervisors. As a result of the election of 1890, Mr. Black became sheriff of Rock county, in which capacity he has served his county up to the present date. Until the county jail was erected in 1899, his office and the county stronghold were lo- cated in the basement of the court house. The deputy sheriffs under Mr. Black are David Beers and C. H. Peterson.

At Red Wing, Minnesota, on March 22, 1869, Mr. Black was married to Almira Sav- age, a native of Franklin, Pennsylvania, where she was born February 26, 1848, the daughter of Rufus and Mercy (Smith) Sav- age. Three children have been born to this union: Edna (Mrs. Bert Arnold), of Staples, Minnesota; Roy and Jessie. Mr. Black is a member of the John Dix Post No. 96, G. A. R., and of Myrtle Lodge No. 67, I. O. O. F.

GEORGE V. GANFIELD (1882), a farmer of Battle Plain township, was born in and has passed his entire life within the bor- ders of Rock connty. He is the son of George W. and Talitha (Mason) Ganfield, who homesteaded in Kanaranzi township in 1876. The father of our subject was born in New York state and his mother is a na- tive of Indiana.

George first saw the light of day on the Kanaranzi township homestead on August 4, 1882. Hle was nine years of age when the family moved to Luverne and in that city he was educated. He was graduated from the Luverne high school with the class of 1901, following which he was employed in the grocery store of E. B. Burley for six

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

months. He was a bookkeeper in the Rock County Bank for a year, bought grain for E. A. Brown for a like period, and then ac- quired a six months' experience in the res- tanrant business under F. B. Burley. Fol- lowing that, Mr. Ganfield commenced his career as a Battle Plain township farmer. He farmed different tracts of land before moving to his present location, in the spring cf 1910. He now farms 200 acres on sections 18 and 19.

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 71

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970 Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company Number of Pages: 924

Author: Rose, Arthur P., 1875-1970
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Luverne, Minn. : Northern History Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 924