An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 77

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 77
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 77

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Our subject was reared on a farm in his native land and remained there until at- taining his majority. Crossing the broad Atlantic in 1891, he journeyed direct to Rock county. For two years after his arrival he worked out as a laborer on several farms in Magnolia township. Then for five years he left the county and made his residence in the Black Hills country of South Dako- ta. During most of that time he was em- ployed as section foreman on the F. E. & M. V. railroad, now a part of the North- western system. Hle also worked for a time in a saw mill.

In 1898 he returned to Rock county and established a permanent residence. For a number of years he was employed on the farm which he now owns, the northwest quarter of section 8. He now farms 240 acres, renting the additional eighty. Most of the improvements on the place are the

work of his own hands and betoken pros- perity. In the raising of stock he has been unusually successful. Since 1904 Mr. Chris- tensen has served as clerk of school dis- trict No. 24. For seven years he has been a member of the township board and chair- man of the same for three terms.

Mr. Christensen has been married twice, On September 2, 1902, in Kanaranzi town- ship, our subject married Mary Jensen, who died February 14, 1904. She was the daughter of N. P. Jensen, of Luverne, who homesteaded the farm on which the de- ceased wife was reared and where Mr. Chris- lensen now resides, On March 10, 1909, in Clinton township, he was wedded to Ser- ena Peterson, a native of Norway, who came to the United States about eleven years ago By the second marriage he is the father of one child, Magnus, horn Janu- ary 28, 1910. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Kana- ranzi township.

LOUIS E. COSS (1874), president of the Luverne Concrete company and real estate dealer of Luverne, is a native of Rock county, having been born in Springwater township October 28, 1874. He has spent his entire life in the county. Mr. Coss was educated in the district school and in the Luverne high school. With the exception of five years when he was a child he re- sided on the farm in Springwater until he was eighteen years of age; during the five years, he lived in Luverne with his par- ents.

At the age of eighteen years Mr. Coss en- gaged in teaching school for three or four years and in 1897 located in Luverne. He opened an insurance office, which he con- ducted alone until 1900. That year he form- ed a partnership with W. L. Buck, and for the next two years the partners conducted a real estate and insurance office. Since that time Mr. Coss has been in the busi- ness alone, having an office in the Arcade building. Mr. Coss is connected with sev- eral enterprises in Luverne. He is a mem- ber of the Knights of Pythias and Modern Woodmen lodges.

The parents of our subject, Samuel and Mary (Bark) Coss, were early settlers of Rock county and were natives of New York

527

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

and Ohio, respectively. The mother came to the county in the spring of 1872, the father in the fall of the same year, and they were married here the following win- ter. They took as a homestead claim in 1873 the northwest quarter of section 34, Springwater township, land which they still own. With the exception of five years dur- ing the eighties, when they lived in Lu- verne, Mr. and Mrs. Coss resided on the homestead until 1900; they have since been residents of Luverne. Louis is the eldest of a family of five children in this family, the others being Earl R., S. A., Luella E. and Florence P.

Lonis E. Coss was married in Luverne in 1898 to Irena J. Hileman, a native of Illinois and a daughter of David and Ra- chael Hileman, who moved to Rock coun- ty about 1890. Mr. Hileman died in Lu- verne; Mrs. Hileman is now a resident of Ottawa, Kansas. Mr. and Mrs. Coss have three children: Doretha, Vernon H. and Gladys.

ALBERT H. MEESTER (1893) is one of the successful farmers and large land own- ers of Kanaranzi township. He owns 240 acres on section 19, 160 acres on section 31, Kanaranzi township, and 243 acres in Clin- ton township, making him the possessor of 643 acres of Rock county's productive soil.

Germany is Albert Meester's native land, and it was on October 12, 1859, that he first saw the light of day. He is the son of Henry and Annie (Wilfank) Meester. His mother died in the fatherland at the age of thirty-six years. With his father the nine year old Albert came to America, and for the first year lived in Ogle county, Illinois. Then a home was made in Grundy county, Iowa, and there it was the youth developed into manhood. In 1883 our suh- ject cast his eyes toward South Dakota, and in Turner county he took a home- stead, upon which he lived ten years. At the end of that time. in 1893, he sold out and became a resident of Rock county, set- tling upon the farm which has since con- tinued to be his home. For eight years he has served on the Kanaranzi township board of supervisors and is at present chairman of the body. He owns telephone

stock and is affiliated with the German Presbyterian church.

At Lennox, South Dakota, on March 28, 1884, Mr. Meester was joined in wedlock to Katie Rippentriap. They are the par- ents of three sons and three daughters, as follows: Eilert A., born May 15, 1885; Henry J., born May 23, 1887; Johannes A., born December 7, 1891; Sina, born Octo- ber 7, 1893; Annie, born August 29, 1895; and Molly, born June 16, 1905.

ALBERT RADEMACHER (1901);' an ex- tensive farmer and breeder of Chester White hogs in Springwater township, is a native of Plymouth county, Iowa, where he was born March 21, 1870. His parents, Henry and Elizabeth (Lembcke) } Rade- macher, were both born in Mecklenburg, Germany.

In the county of his birth Albert received an education and grew to manhood. At the age of twenty-three he commenced farming for himself and the year following became the owner of a quarter section of Plymouth county land, which he worked un- til coming to Rock county in 1901. He rented land for four years, and then with his brother bought the northwest quarter of section 36 and the east half of section 35, range 47, Springwater township, and makes his home on the first described land. Mr. Rademacher is the treasurer of schoo! district No .. 52. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and M. W. A. lodges.

In Plymonth county, Iowa, on March 4, 1896, Albert Rademacher was married to Augusta Mathwig, the daughter of Fred and Henrietta ( Weincuff) Mathwig. She was born August 2, 1877. One daughter, Gladys, was horn to these parents, Decem- ber 15, 1900.

K. S. HOIME (1887), of Battle Plain township, was born in Valders, Norway, on the nineteenth of July, 1864. He is the son of Steffen and Mary (Elestad) Hoime, both deceased. The former died in Norway dur- ing the early youth of our subject and the mother, who later came to this country, died at Hills in 1892.

K. S. Hoime of this sketch was reared 24 a farm in the old country, educated in

528

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

. the common schools, and worked as a farm laborer for the major portion of the twenty-three years of his life passed in Norway. He immigrated to the United States in 1887 and journeyed direct to Rock county, which has been his home ever since. He hired out in Martin township for three years, then became identified with things agricultural in Battle Plain township. He farmed rented land for seven years and then bought his present farm property, the sonthwest quarter of section 13 and eighty acres on section 24. A com- modious farm residence was erected by Mr. Hoime on his place in 1908, and many other substantial improvements have been added. He raises high grade stock.

On November 21, 1893, in Vienna town- ship, onr subject was married to Annie S. An- derson, who was born in Fayette county, Iowa, January 19, 1869, the daughter of Sevat and Rangdi (Swenson) Anderson. The mother is dead and the father now lives with his daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Hoime are the parents of four children, namely: Mabel, born in 1895; Alvin, born in 1897; Edwin, born in 1900; and Stener, born in 1902. Mr. Hoime has held various offices of trust in his township and school district.

CHESTER H. LINNELL (1885), a pro- gressive farmer of Clinton township, own- Ing 120 acres of the southwest quarter of section 3, has been a resident of Rock county for twenty-six years. He is the son of Charles and Mary (Linhart) Linnell and was born in Henry county, Illinois, De- cember 27. 1866. Both the father, born in New York state in 1828, and the mother, a native of Ohio, died in Rock county, the former in 1888 and the latter two years later at the age of forty-five years.

Chester Linnell of this review was brought up on a farm and educated in the district schools of his native county, and his native county continned to be his home until after his eighteenth birthday. In 1885 he accompanied his parents to Rock county. The family located on sec- tion 10, Clinton township, and on the farm acquired by his father Chester lived until after the decease of his parents. One year previous to his father's death he rented

the home place and he managed it for five years thereafter. In the course of his resi- dence there he bought his present prop- erty on section 3, upon which he moved a number of years ago. All the improve- ments on the place have been made by Mr. Linnell. He makes a specialty of rais- ing thoroughbred Duroc-Jersey, swine.

At Colona, Illinois, on March 20, 1901, Mr. Linnell was united in marriage to Amelia Lowe. Mrs. Linnell was born in Germany January 27, 1881, and came to the United States with her parents during her infancy. Her father, August Lowe, is

a resident of Geneseo, Illinois, but her mother, Minnie Lowe, has been dead for some time. One child, Rodney Fay, was born to Mr. and Mrs. Linnell, on April 21, 1902. For three years Mr. Linnell served as a director of school distict No. 3.

RAY L. NORTON (1891) is one of the big farmers and stockholders of Beaver Creek township and has a continuous residence of twenty years in the county to his cred- it. He is the owner of 480 acres of finely improved land in the precinct of his resi- dence, the northeast quarter of section 5 and the west half of section 1. He is the son of Albert and Nancy (Swezey) Norton, both natives of New York state. The fa- ther, at the time of his death in the spring of 1892, was a prosperous Iowa county, Iowa, farmer. His wife is a resident of Marengo, Iowa. The Norton family is of Irish origin and made early settlement in America.

Ray L. Norton of this biography was born in łowa county, lowa, on the first day of July, 1869. In the county of his birth he was destined to pass the first twenty-two years of his life. He received a country school education and resided on the home farm until making settlement in Rock coun- ty in 1891. For the first nine or ten years in the county Ray carried on his farming operations in partnership with his brother D. O. Norton. They farmed in the town- ships of Kanaranzi, and Clinton and finally located on the Ira Crawford farm, adjoining the village of Beaver Creek.

It was during the three years residence of the Nortons on the Crawford farm, that they bought the northeast quarter of sec-

529

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

tion 5, and upon the dissolution of the part- · nership, Ray Norton moved to that place, where he now resides, and of which he is the sole owner. He purchased the other half section of his farm property in the spring of 1910. He is a successful stock breeder and makes a specialty of the thor- oughbred Chester White hog. His herd generally averages forty head of cattle, fifteen horses and 100 hogs. Mr. Norton has served as overseer of his road district.

At Koszta, lowa county, Iowa, on April 22, 1890, our subject was joined in wedlock to Mary Anderson, the daughter of Peter and Louisa Anderson, the latter of whom is still living. Mrs. Norton was born in lowa county October 6, 1869. Mr. and Mrs. Norton are the parents of four children: Florence, horn October 18, 1891; Hurel, born December 24, 1893; Coy, born June S, 1899; and Edna, born October 8, 1900.

LEWIS C. HODGSON (1884), deceased. Perhaps there was no man in Rock county who devoted more of his means and energy to the promoting of the interests of fancy stock breeding or was more successful in his experiments than the late L. C. Hodg- son. The Percheron horses, Aberdeen An- gus cattle and Chester White hogs which have been raised for nearly thirty years in Rock county by Lewis Hodgson are known far and wide throughout this and adjoining states for their special quality. For years the fine stock raised on the Hodgson farm has taken the blue ribbon at the state fairs of Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota, not to mention numerous smaller exhibitions.

The man who must be given the credit for this noteworthy achievement was a na- tive of Tazewell county, Illinois, where he was born December 21, 1850. His father, Aaron Hodgson, was a native of Ohio, while the birthplace of his mother, Elizabeth Hodgson, was Illinois.

The first twenty-six years of Lewis Hodg- son's life were spent in his native state. After completing the public school course, he was for two years a student at Eureka college. In 1876 our subject on a journey to Nebraska became favorably impressed with the possibilities of the country and invested in a quarter section of land near

the town of Fairfield. Ile moved on to that farm and for four years made Nebraska his home. Finding an opportunity to dis- pose of his land at a handsome profit, he did so, and returned to his tllinois home. His father died in 1882, and through in- heritance he came into possession of the home estate. The following year he dis- posed of the place, came to Rock county, and bought the northeast quarter of sec- tion 15, Luverne township, which has since been developed into one of the thoroughly and most-up-to-date improved farms in the county.

Since that time Mr. Hodgson's landed pos- sessions have grown. In 1888 he became the owner of the southwest quarter of section 14, and in 1908 he invested in a 270 acre farm near Donnelly, Minnesota. He also purchased an orange grove of thirty-six

acres near Brownsburg, Texas. In 1905 Mr. Hodgson rented the farm on section 15 to one of his sons and removed to the state of Washington. He remained there only a year, however, returning to the scene of his many years of labor. He bought a fine residence in the city of Luverne and made his home there until his death, which oc- curred March 23, 1911.

On February 14, 1872, at Ottawa, Illinois, Mr. Hodgson was married to Leila Ehersol, a daughter of Amos and Calista Ebersol, residents of the Illinois city. To Mr. and Mrs. Hodgson the following children were born: Lewis C., on December 29, 1872; Earnest W., on December 21, 1874; Karl W., on April 17, 1880; Victor A., on June 3, 1882; Robert E., on October 26, 1893; Nellie C., on January 20, 1878; Laura C., on October 20, 1884: Ray W., on October 28, 1888.

In political, educational and religious matters Mr. Hodgson always took a lead- ing part and active interest. He was for nine years the treasurer of his township and for several years was a member of the Luverne board of education. He was a stanch member of the Presbyterian church, for twelve years served as an elder in the local congregation, and for nine years was the superintendent of the Sunday school.

MARTIN L. WAHLERT (1889) is the manager of the D. Rothschild Grain com- pany's interests at Hardwick. He was born

530

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

in Holstein, Germany, June 15, 1862, and is the son of Jolin Jacob and Amelia (Haak) Wahlert, who immigrated in the United States in 1883. They settled in lowa county, łowa, where the death of John Wahlert occurred in the spring of 1894. Mrs. Wahlert lives at Luverne and is seventy-three years of age. Besides Martin L. of this sketch there were three other sons and a daughter in the family: Minnie, who is deceased; William, of Casper, Wyoming; Jacob, of Springwa. ter township; and Fred, of Luverne.

The first sixteen years of Martin Wahl- ert's life were passed in the land of his na- tivity. On leaving school he apprenticed himself to a millwright and worked at that trade until coming to the United States. Aft- er spending a short time with an uncle in Marengo, lowa, he located in Moline, Il- linois, where he engaged in carpenter work for three years. For a number of years thereafter Mr. Wahlert was a carpenter and contractor in several different locali- ties of the United States-for awhile in Benton county, Towa, then in Clay county, afterwards in Oregon, Washington, Cali- fornia and Nebraska, finally settling in the town of Everly, Clay county, lowa.

In 1889 our subject became a resident of Rock county. He farmed rented land in Luverne township for six years and on other places until 1899, when he moved on to his own farm in Denver township, the east half of section 23. Five years later he became the owner of the northeast quarter of section 20 and lived thereon for a year. He was one of the organizers and the first president of the Farmers Elevator company, and in 1904 he moved to Hardwick to as- sume the management of the business. ITe was connected with the firm one year, at the end of which time he entered the employ of the Rothschild Grain company and commenced his present duties.

At Benton, lowa, on September 21, 1883, Mr. Wahlert married Louisa Detlefs, also a native of Holstein, Germany, who came to this country in 1882. To them have been born eight children, of whom the following four are living: Fred J., of Sioux Falls, born August 2, 1884; Nora M. (Mrs. B. H. Piepgras), of Hardwick, born July 15, 1888; Henry J., born April 17, 1896; and Martha N., born December 4, 1898. The deceased children were Helene, Joe, Rosa and Willie.

Ever since his removal to Hardwiek Mr. Wahlert has been a member of the school . board and for one term served on the vil- lage council. He was a supervisor of Den- ver township for a number of years. He is a member of the I. O. O. F., Rebekahs, A. O. U. W. and D. of H. lodges and of the German Lutheran church.

HANS T. HOLVERSON (1891), manager of the Hardwick Farmers Elevator com- pany, president of the State Bank of Hard- wick and influential citizen of the progres. sive Rock county village, is a Norwegian by birth, his nativity occurring at Kons- berg August 11, 1866. He is the son of Ole and Annie Holverson, residents of Flan- dreau, South Dakota. They came to Amer- ica in 1870 and after living in Waseca, Min- nesota, for eight years moved to Moody county, South Dakota, and homesteaded land.

Hans was three years of age when he accompanied his parents in their journey across the Atlantic to establish a home in the new world. The family moved from Waseca to Moody county, South Dakota, making the entire trip in true pioneer style, via the ox-team route. Until 1890 Moody county continued to be the home of one subject and while there he was engaged principally in agricultural pursuits. In the year mentioned he entered the employ of I. A. Brown and located for a year at Altoona, now Cresson, Pipestone county, as a grain buyer. For eleven years thereafter he was employed in a similar capacity for the same firm at Hardwick. He resigned to engage in real estate operations in the same town. After two years he again took up grain buying for the D. Rothschild com- pany and for the past six years has ably filled his present position. The Hardwick Farmers Elevator company was organized in 1904 as a co-operative concern, in which leading business men and farmers are in- terested. The first set of officers was as follows: President, P. T. Petersen; secre- tary, Harmon Hemme; treasurer, John Stamman; manager, M. L. Wahlert. Di- rectors were C. G. Matthiesen, John Oye, A. Hauger, E. T. Thorson and T. O. Tollef- son. The present officers and directors are: President, P. T. Petersen; secretary,

O. H. GRAVATT Cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Hardwick.

H. T. HOLVERSON President of the Farmers State Bank of Hardwick.

W. O. LARSON One of the Leading Merchants of Hard- wick.

M. L. WAHLERT . Manager of the Rothschild Grain Company at Hardwick.

531

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

O. H. Gravatt; treasurer, ttenry Rolfs; vice president, J. P. Kennedy; Adolph Hauger, Adolph Carl, J. F. Matthiesen, Carl Wiese and J. C. Mannigel.

Mr. Holverson has been president of the Farmers State Bank of Hardwick since Jan- mary, 1910. He has held the office of vil- lage recorder continuously since the incor- poration of the village with the exception of one year, and that year he was the president of the council. He is the owner of considerable real property in the vil- lage, in Rock county, in Murray county and in Roberts county, South Dakota. The Hol- verson addition to Hardwick was platted in 1900 by our subject from some of his land. Mr. Holverson's career has been one of success. Starting with no capital but a lofty ambition and a good stock of the spirit of perseverance, he has pushed him- self forward to a position of influence and respect in his home community and the county at large. Mr. Holverson is a mem- ber of the I. O. O. F. and M. W. A. lodges and the Presbyterian church.

Our subject has been married three times. His first two wives were sisters, Lizzie and Mary Brock, both of whom died and left a child each. Their names are Lillian and Inga. He was married a third time in Minneapolis on August 14, 1905, to Alma Holm, a native of Sweden.

W. ORANGE LARSON (1902) is a suc- cessful and enterprising merchant of Hard- wick who has by sheer ability and unaided effort built up the leading mercantile busi- ness in his home town and one that would do credit to a larger place than Hardwick. Self-made aptly expresses Mr. Larson's sta- tus.

W. Orange Larson is a native of Alla- makee county, Iowa, having been born at Harper's Ferry on the first of July, 1871. He was educated in the common schools of his home county, at the Waukon Business college, and at the Iowa state normal, lo- cated at Cedar Falls. He came to Rock county to engage in teaching, which he did for a number of years. Then for four years he was a successful farmer. In May, 1908, our subject moved to Hardwick and the same year bought the stock of general merchandise and the building which housed

it from J. B. Iverson. It is that business which Mr. Larson has developed to its present prosperity. He

also has heavy interests in Canada land. Four years ago he invested in a section in cen- tral Saskatchewan, near the city of Regina, which has increased many times the pur- chase price in value. He is a member of the I. O. O. F. and Rebekah lodges of Hard- wick and the K. P. of Jasper.

Mr. Larson is one of a family of ten children born to L. O. and Mary O. Larson, natives of Norway, who came to this coun- try in childhood. They were among the pioneer settlers of Allamakee county, Iowa, where they continue to reside at the ages of sixty-eight and sixty-five years, respect- ively.

ONES H. GRAVATT (1908) is the cashier of the Farmers State Bank of Hardwick. He was born February 24, 1882, in the town of Traer, lowa, where his parents, Albert and Trena Gravatt, have resided for many years. In the Gravatt family are six boys and one girl, who, besides Ones, are Arthur, Mabel, Clifford, Leroy, Gny and Howard.

Ones H. Gravatt received a careful edu- cation in the public schools of his native town and later at the lowa state normal school and the Cedar Rapids Business col- lege. At the age of twenty he went west and for a number of years was employed as a clerk in leading stores of Palo Alto and San Francisco, California. He was in California during the great earthquake catastrophe in the spring of 1906. Follow- ing that event he returned to Iowa and located in Terrill as assistant cashier of the Bank of Terrill. He remained there until February, 1908, when he entered upon his present duties in the Hardwick bank, in which he holds stock. He is also the secretary of the Hardwick Farmers Eleva- tor company and a member of the city council. He holds membership in the Odd Fellows and Rebekah lodges.

Hardwick's first bank was a private insti- tution organized in 1893 by Iowa capital. E. E. Taylor, of Traer, Iowa, was its first president and G. O. Ross its cashier. A few years later Mr. Ross was promoted to the vice presidency and his brother, D. J. Ross, became cashier. In December, 1907,

532

ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

the bank was reorganized with a capital stock of $10,000 and chartered as the Farm- ers State Bank of Hardwick. The stock is all owned by local business men and farm- ers. Since the reorganization the business of the hank has more than doubled. The present officers are: President, H. T. Hol- verson; vice president, C. H. Christopher- son; cashier, O. H. Gravatt. The capital stock was increased in December, 1910, to $15,000. Under the present able manage- ment the deposits have doubled in the past year.

LIONEL E. LEAR (1889) is a Spring- water township farmer. He was born on a farm near Darlington, Wisconsin, and his parents were Edwin and Mary (Carpenter) Lear. Our subject received the educational training of the rural schools and assisted with the work on the farm until twenty years of age. For four years thereafter he was engaged in hauling cream for the Dar- lington creamery. Since 1889 he has been a Rock county farmer, having farmed suc- cessively in the townships of Beaver Creek, Mound, Battle Plain and Springwater. In 1908, after a year spent as a resident of Hardwick, Mr. Lear rented and moved to his present farm, the southwest quarter of section 35, Springwater township.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 77

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