An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 82

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 82
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 82

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).

HALVOR SAVOLD (1880), who is the pos- sessor of a half section of Martin town- ship's productive soil, is a son of Samuel O. and Annie (Hagelie) Savold, natives of Norway. The father came to America in 1847 and first settled near Chicago, moving later to Jefferson Prairie, Wisconsin, and then to Winneshiek county, Iowa. The mother came to America in 1850 and settled in Winneshiek county, Iowa. They were married in 1852.

It was in the latter location that the sub- ject of this review was born July 1, 1865. There he grew up on his father's farm. He attended the district schools, following his elementary education with a three years' course in Upper Iowa university at Fayette.

In 1880 Mr. Savold commenced his resi- dence in Rock county and it has been a continucus one since that date. For several years he taught school during the winters and did farm work in the summers. De- ciding on farming as his life vocation, in 1882 he purchased the southwest quarter of section 18, Martin township, and that has been his home since. He has built up one of the finest improved farms in the township. He makes a specialty of breed- ing and raising Poland China and Chester White swine. In 1899 he came into pos- session of the southeast quarter of section 13, range 47. For several years he served on the township board and for three years was the clerk of school district No. 33. He is a member of the Norwegian Lutherant Synod church of Hills.

Mr. Savold was married in Martin town- ship on June 16, ISSI, to Mary Tolefson, the daughter of Tollef and Maret Tolefson, hoth natives of Norway. The following seven children have been born to them: Sam T., born December 4, 1882; Minnie A., born Inno 16. ISS4: Elmer L., born .Inne 12, 1886; Henry M., born November 23, 1888;

Tilda J., born May 3, 1891; Ella S., born April 23, 1895; and Roy H., born July 15, 1898.

HANS J. THOMTE (1882), a leading tailor of Luverne, has for thirty years been an active participant in the growth and de- velopment of Rock county and is today one of her highly esteemed citizens. He is a Norwegian by birth, his nativity occurring August 8, 1842, and is one of a family of eight children, whose parents, John and Engberg Thomte, lived and died in Norway.

Mr. Thomte received a good education in his native land. Immediately on leaving school he was apprenticed to learn the tailor's trade, of which he became a mas- ter, and up to the time of his coming to America in 1869 he followed that line of work in his native land. For thirteen years previous to his arrival in Rock county he was a resident of Lansing, lowa. In 1882 Mr. Thomte homesteaded on section 14, Vienna township, and five years later moved with his family to Luverne in order to secure for them better educational fa- cilities. He entered the employ of Schuy- ler's department store as the manager of the clothing and tailoring department. Some few years later he purchased the tailoring business of his employer, moved it to another building and added a line of furnishings. Mr. Thomte lost all he had invested as the result of a disastrous fire, which completely wiped out his business. Since then he has been engaged exclusively in the tailoring business, and has bis shop in the east room of the Rock County Bank building.

Mr. Thomte has been married twice. At Lansing, lowa, our subject was wedded to Karee H. Hansen, a native of Norway, who died in 1900. To this union were born the following nine children, all of whom are living: John, Herman and Carl, engaged in the clothing business at Lisbon, North Dakota: Adolph, of Lisbon; Ada (Mrs. Al- fred Olson), of Canada; Engar and Clara (twins), the former a clerk in a Big Stone county. Minnesota, store, the latter a resi- dent of Luverne and the wife of John Lamb: George, a farmer of Kenneth; and Agnes. On July 9, 1909, Mr. Tompte mar- ried Carrie Austin, a native of Allamakee

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county, lowa, and a daughter of Jacob Aus- tin, a Rock county pioneer.

For nine years Mr. Thomte faithfully served as a member of the Inverne hoard of education. He holds the Knights Tem- plar degree in the Masonic order and is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church.

JESSE L. GOEMBEL (1885) has spent all except the first three years of his life as a resident of Rock county. He is the son of Peter and Christina (Rapp) Goembel and was born August 3, 1882, at Genesco, Illi- nois, at which place his father was follow- ing the trade of carpenter.

The elder Mr. Goembel with his family came to Rock county in 1885 and bought the northeast quarter of section 8, Magnolia township. Jesse grew up on that farm, receiving his education in the public schools. In 1906 he rented the home place and has farmed it continuously since that date. He is treasurer of school district No. 6.

Mr. Goembel was united in marriage at Luverne on May 23, 1906, to Luverne Kreps. She is the daughter of Fred and Ida Kreps, of Luverne, who came from llinois in 1882. One child, Belva L., was born to this union on August 21, 1907.

WILLARD W. ADAMS (18$4) farms the west halt of section 2, Vienna township. Chickasaw county, Iowa, is the place of his birth, which occurred September 23, 1879. Both his parents are now residents of Olney township, Nobles county. David Adams, the father, was born in Wisconsin in 1832, while the mother, Malinda (Impson) Adams, is a native of Indiana.

Willard was five years of age when he ac- companied his parents from their lowa home to Rock county. The family located on the southwest quarter of section 4, Mag- nolia township, and thereafter were on dif- ferent farms of the same precinct until 1904. Our subject was educated in the rural schools and at the age of nineteen left the shelter of the parental roof to struggle with the world for himself. For three years he was employed as a farm hand in the lowa county of his birth, then return- ed to Rock county for the winter. He then

went to Roberts county, South Dakota, where he resided for a short period. Since then Mr. Adams has been permanently lo- cated in Rock county. He married in 1903 and immediately thereafter set up as an independent farmer in Vienna township. A year later he moved to section 24, Vienna, and at the end of another twelfth-month settled on his present place. His efforts as a farmer and stock raiser have been crowned with success.

At Adrian, Nobles county, on March 31, 1903, our subject was joined in wedlock to Maud Etta Dean, the daughter of .W. C. Dean, of Magnolia township. She was born in Indiana March 15, 1884. Mr. and Mrs. Adams are the parents of three sons and one daughter, as follows: Alta May, born December 5, 1904; Ray Edward, born An- gust 6, 1906; Lyle Otis, born July 24, 1908; Donald Eugene, born May 13, 1910.

KNUTE K. HELLIE (1882), one of the oldest and most highly respected citizens of Hills, is the manager of the Tuthill Lumher company's interests at that place and is also the proprietor of the Hills Ce- ment Block and Tile works. He is a na- tive of Norway, born February 18, 1867, the son of Knute J. and Sarah O. (Sjefte) Hel- lie, both of whom still live in Norway. To these parents have been born seven child- ren, who besides Knute of this sketch are Jerger, who lives on the home place in Norway; Mary (Mrs. H. H. Wesley), form- erly of Hills, now deceased; Ole K., of Al- bert Lea, Minnesota; Olaf, of Albert Lea; Mrs. Tom Hilgerson, of Jasper; Ingborg, of Norway.

Knute K. Hellie was a boy of sixteen years when he bade farewell to native land and cast his fortune in the new world. His education was commenced in Norway and was continued for awhile aft- er coming to America. Knute located at Albert Lea, Minnesota, where he began to learn the carpenter's trade and worked at it for a year. Since 1882 Hills has been the home of our subject. For fifteen years he was the leading contractor in the village, and during those years many of the hand- some residences and most of the public buildings, including the Hills school, Trin- ity church, and others as substantial, were

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

erected by Mr. Hellie. He entered the em- ploy of the Tuthill Lumber company as the local manager of its yards in 1905. This position he has held continuously since, with the exception of a period in 1907, when he returned to Norway for a visit with his aged parents.

The Hills Cement Block and Tile works, established by Mr. Hettie in 1908, has been a successful enterprise from the start, and the output of the plant now is inadequate to the demand for its superior products. A number of buildings in Hills, including the Christianson Bros. furniture store block and Dr. Paulson's residence, are construct- ed of cement blocks from Mr. Hellie's plant. Besides property in Hills, Mr. Hel- lie is the owner of 240 acres of land north of Beaver Creek. He is a director of the First National Bank and a member of the village council.

At Sioux Falls, on November 11, 1892, Mr. Hellie was married to Sarah Rovang, the danghter ot Gilbert T. and Annie Ro- vang, pioneers of Martin township and now residents of Hills. Mrs. Hellie was horn in Winneshiek county, lowa, November 28, 1868. The following six children have heen born to these parents: Clifford G., Alma S., Grant J., Geneva S., Esther I. and Syl- via C. One daughter, Geneva S., died in 1896 at the age of two and one-half years. Mr. Hellie and family are members of the Synod Lutheran church.

CARL HOUG (1876) is a native-born farmer of Rock county. He is the son of Jens J. and Magdaline Iloug, both of Nor- wegian birth, and was born on his father's Mound township homestead January 23, 1876, and on that farm he grew to manhood. Ile was educated in the district setools and early entered upon an agricultural career. He farmed rented land to begin with, but since 1903 he has lived on his own farm, the northwest quarter of section 22, Rose Dell township. He bought that land in 1897, but did not permanently settle upon it until after improvements were made in the year mentioned. Mr. Hong raises lots of cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator con- pany and the Co-operative Mercantile com- pany, of Jasper. Our subject served one

year as assessor. He belongs to the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

Carl Hong was married in Allamakee county, Iowa, on December 22, 1903, to a native of that county, Heien Hanson, who was born February 27, 1883. She is the daughter of Andrew and Maren (Hundstad) Hanson, natives of Norway and Allamakee county, respectively. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Houg. The first one died in infancy and the following three are living: Olga M., horn July . 20, 1905; Joseph A., born July 16, 1907; and Esther M., born May 3, 1910.

JAMES ALBERT McCANN (1905) farms 280 acres of land on section 17, Beaver Creek township, and is a man who has ex- perienced an eventful career. A native of Pompey Hill, New York, he was born Oc- tober 22, 1876, the son of Hezekiah and Elizabeth (Savage) MeCann, natives of Ireland and Canada, respectively. His mother, who married William Jones in 1897, is a resident of Omaha, Nebraska. J. A. Mc- Cann of this sketch has two full sisters living in Omaha. They are Hariet Matilda (McCann) Barton, aged thirty-seven years, and Helen Elizabeth (McCann) Herron, aged thirty-one years. He also has one half sister, May Bell Jones Marion. He al- so has one step sister, aged thirty-four years, and two stepbrothers, aged thirty-two and twenty-eight years. One sister, Jen- nie, died in Dawes county, Nebraska, at the age of six years.

James has been fatherless since he was a lad of eight years. The family moved from New York three years after the birth of our subject and located in the city of Chicago, where the elder Mr. McCann breathed his last. After a five years' resi- dence in the Illinois metropolis, the mother with her children moved to Nebraska and homesteaded in Dawes county

In the free, open air of a frontier coun- try James developed into robust youth, fond of darling. For three years, from 1890, he roamed the plains of Wyoming, Colorado and Montana as a cowboy with the Bar T outfit. His skill as a rider of all sorts and conditions of horses led to an engagement with the famous Buffalo Bill's Wild West show, with which he was

JAMES A. McCANN

In Cowboy Garb When in the Employ of the Trans-Mississippi and Interna- tional Exposition at Omaha,

K. K. HELLIE Proprietor of the Hills Cement Block and Tile Works.

ARTHUR P. ROSE Author of the Ilistory.

P. T. PETERSEN

Licensed Auctioneer and Real Es- tate Dealer of Hardwick.

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

connected for six years, and in that time toured every section of this country and England. During the whole of the Trans Mississippi exposition at Omaha, in 1898, Mr. McCann was stationed there as an expert horseback performer.

He closed his engagement with Buffalo Bill at Urbana, Ohio, on October 14, 1899, and immediately thereafter located in Oma- ha, where he was employed by an ice com- pany until 1905, when his residence in Rock county began. He rented the same year the land he now farms with success. He devotes considerable attention to the rais- ing of stock, especially horses and mules, of which he breeds a large number annu- ally.

James A. McCann was married at Coun- cil Bluffs, lowa, on November 4, 1901, to Maggie Ohm, who was born in Germany Angust 10, 1874, and came to the United States three years later. She is the daugh- ter of Jurgen and Frances Ohm, the latter of whom has been dead since 1879. The father lives with his daughter Maggie. In the family is another sister, Lena Steffen, wife of William M. Steffen, of Rock coun- ty, whose biography is to be found else- where in this volume. One son, Amos, was born to Mr. and Mrs. McCann, on Feb- ruary 1, 1905.

PETER T. PETERSEN (1902), of Hard- wick, devotes his attention to the auctioneer- ing and real estate business. He is a na- tive of Germany, born in Idstedt, Schles- wig, October 1, 1855, and is one in a family of eight children, namely: Peter T., of this sketch; Maria, of Germany; Anna (Mrs. J. F. Matthiesen), of Denver township; Jur- gen, who died in 1905 at Manning, Iowa, at the age of forty-six years; Dorothea (Mrs. C. G. Matthiesen), of Denver town- ship; Christian, of Moscow, Idaho; and Henry, a traveling salesman of Pipestone, who travels for a Minneapolis firm. The parents were Jurgen and Christina (Peter- sen) Petersen, who came to the United States in 1881 and settled in Tama county, Iowa. Mr. Petersen died there in 1890 at the age of sixty-eight years. After her hus- band's death Christina Petersen made her home with her daughter, Mrs. C. G. Mat- thiesen, a half mile west of Hardwick, and

there she passed away in 1904 at the age cf ceventy-four years.

Peter received a common school educa- tion in his native land and at the age of fifteen was confirmed. On attaining his majority he enlisted in the German army and served two years. His career in Amer- ica commenced in the year 1880. He lo- cated at Dysart, Tama county, Iowa, where two uncles were living. After a year spent as a laborer on the farms of that county he moved to Crawford county, in the same state, and farmed rented land until the fall of 1887. His next move was to Manilla, lowa, where he was engaged in the saloon business for five years, part of the time working as an insurance agent. For ten years previons to coming to Rock county in 1902, Mr. Petersen farmed in Crawford county.

For the first two years in Rock county he farmed a halt section of land on section 6, Mound township; then in the spring of 1904 he moved to the east half of section 23, Denver township. He had invested in Hardwick village property and in the fall of 1908 his residence in that village began. He has been an anctioneer since 1903 and that business he still follows in connection with dealing in real estate.

Mr. Petersen was married at Denison, lowa, on August 19, 1882, to Emma M. Yet- ter, who was born in Davenport, Iowa, March 23, 1865, and is the daughter of John and Celia Yetter, hoth deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Petersen are the parents of four liv- ing children: J. Henry, born February 9, 1883; John F., born August 12, 1884; Al- wiena (Mrs. A. E. Brandenburg), born Feb- rnary 2, 1886; and Peter T., Jr., born Sep- tember 6, 1887. One son, George, born April 11, 1889, died March 30, 1890, at Ma- nilla, lowa.

Among other interests Mr. Petersen Is president of the Hardwick Farmers Eleva- tor company and has held the office for the past six years. He is at present serv- ing his second term as justice of the peace, and he was also justice of the peace in Denver township four years. While a resi- dent of Crawford county, Iowa, Mr. Peter- sen was a school director for nine years. He is a member of the Modern Woodmen and Royal Neighbors orders and of the

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

German Lutheran church. He also holds membership in the German Understuelz- ung Verein, of Manilla, lowa.

RALPH L. GIBSON (1896), of Beaver Creek township, is a New Yorker by birth, has nativity having occurred in Allegany county March 20, 1879. His parents, AI- fonso and Ellen (Sutton) Gibson, were also natives of the Empire state.

Ralph lived on his father's New York farm and attended the district schools un- til seventeen years of age. Then, in 1896, the family moved from the east to Rock county and Beaver Creek township. subject hired out as a farm laborer for the first six years, then went to Murray coun- ty, where he rented and farmed land three years. For the past four years he has liv- ed on the northeast quarter of section 25, range 47, Beaver Creek township. He also works the northwest quarter of section 30, which makes a half section under Mr. Gib- son's management. He is the substitute mail carrier on route No. 1, ont from Beav- er Creek.

In Beaver Creek township, on Christmas day, 1907, Ralph L. Gibson was joined in wedlock to Alice Stearns, who was horn March 15, 1886, and is a daughter of Willis J. and Gertrude (Pinney) Stearns, residents of Beaver Creek township. To this union have been born two children: Gertrude E., born November 20, 1908, and Jessie, born April 15, 1910. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson are members of the Presbyterian church.

FERDINAND KOPP (1903), one of the successful farmers of Mound township, was born in Scott county, Iowa, December 24, 1869. The father of our subject was a carpenter, Mathias Kopp, who came from Switzerland when a young man and made his home in Davenport, lowa. He died there at the age of sixty-five years, when Ferdinand was fifteen or sixteen years of age. The mother of our subject was Anna (Soehren) Kopp, who was born in Germany and who died in Scott county, lowa, in 1896.

Until he reached his majority Ferdinand Kopp lived at the parental home in Buffa- lo, lowa, and in that village he was educat-

ed. In 1891 he left home and started ont in lite for himself, going to Cedar county, lowa, where for the next four years he worked ont as a farm hand. The next eight years of his life were passed farming rent- ed land near Bennett, Iowa. He prospered, and in 1903 he came to Rock county, where he bought his present farm and where he has since resided. His home farm is the southeast quarter of section 29, Mound township, and he also owns the southwest quarter of section 22, Springwater town- ship. Most of the improvements on the home farm have been made by him, it hav- ing been only slightly improved when he bought. He has a fine grove and a small orchard on the place. He engages in grain farming and to quite an extent in stock raising. Mr. Kopp is a member of the M. W. A. lodge of Luverne, and for the past five years he has served as clerk of school district No. 12.

In the city of Davenport, Iowa, on March 13, 1895, Mr. Kopp was married to Lena Fitzer, who was born in Cedar county, Iowa, November 1, 1870. These parents have two children, Chris, born January 10, 1897, and Elsie, born October 8, 1899.

GEORGE D. NELSON (1874), a success- Inl farmer and breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs, has been a Rock county resident since he was a child in his sixth year. He was born in Helgeland, Nor- way. December 24, 1868, the son of Nels and Christina (Hanson) Marken.

George D. Nelson was left fatherless while an infant, and shortly after the fam- ily bereavement he accompanied his moth- er and sister in the long journey from the land of his birth to the much-heard-of land of opportunity across the sea. Mrs. Nel- son and her little family were residents of Sioux Rapids and Beloit, Iowa, for three years and then found their way to Rock county. The mother of our subject in 1874 married Lars O. Bakken, who had homesteaded the southwest quarter of sec- tion 9, Martin township, which has been George's home since that time. Since 1895 he has had the active management of the place and in addtiion farms the north half of section 9, which he bought in 1904. He also owns a part interest in 700 acres of

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

Pipestone county land. Mr. Nelson is a di- . rector of school district No. 39. He owns stock in the State Bank of Hills, the Farm- ers Mercantile company and in the Hills creamery.

The marriage of George D. Nelson to Rena Olson occurred November 7, 1894. The following nine children have been born to these parents: Clara R., born June 21, 1896; Nels H., born September 18, 1897; Dora H., born October 1, 1899; Lenora A .. born May 23, 1901; Olaf N., born February 26, 1903; Josephine P., born January 19, 1905; Grant R., born November 8, 1907; Ruby H., born December 8, 1909; Alma J., born February 1, 1911.

JOHN FRAHM (1896), of Kanaranzi township, first saw the light of day in Schleswig, Germany, on the twenty-ninth day of August, 1869, and is the son of Ferdinand and Johanna (Stammer) Frahm. The father died in the old country seven years ago, but the mother still lives aud makes her home in Kanaranzi.

The greater part of the first sixteen years of John Frahm's life were spent as a student in the village school. Then, after serving an apprenticeship to a master blacksmith, he followed the trade for four years. The final four years previous to his immigration to America were spent as an enlisted soldier in the kaiser's army. In 1892 his career in this country hegan. For three years he worked on a farm near Davenport, lowa. Then he made Rock county and Kanaranzi township his goal. After hiring out for a year, he rented a place and set up as an independent farmer. In 1898 he moved to his present location, the southwest quarter of section 12.

Mr. Frahm's marriage of Adaline Blanck occurred in Rock Island, Illinois, in March, 1897. They are the parents of six chi- dren: Ferdinand, Martha, Leonard, Adolph, Mattie and Emma.

EDWARD E. MALONEY (1881), a Lu- verne dealer in grain, fuel and feed, is a native Minnesotan, his birth having occur- red in Fillmore county on February 12, 1877. He is one in a family of six children whose parents are Edward and Johanna (Fitzger-

ald) Maloney, both natives of Ireland. They were married in Fillmore county, Minnesota, and farmed there until 1881, when they located in Rock county. The father bought the northwest quarter of sec- tion 5, Clinton township, where the fam- ily made their home until 1903, since which time they have been residents of Lil- verne.

Edward was a child of three years when he accompanied his parents in the removal from Fillmore county to Rock county. He received an education in the district schools of Clinton township and made his home on his father's farm until March 1, 1908, when he moved to Luverne. He managed the home place two years previous to his re- moval. In May, 1909, he hought the eleva- tor, grain and fuel business of the K. W. Jargo estate, which he has conducted up to date. His elevator bas a capacity of 35,000 bushels of grain.

Mr. Maloney was married in Luverne to Agnes Donovan, who was born in Illinois December 17, 1883, and who is the daugh- ter of Daniel and Catherine (Daly) Dono- van. Two children have blessed this un- ion: Lyle Edward, horn July 6, 1907, and Linnus Donovan, born April 22, 1906.

OSCAR M. AUSEN (1881) has passed all but the first five years of his life as a resi- dent of Rose Dell township, of which he has long been a leading agriculturist. He was born in Norway December 30, 1876, and five years later came to this country and to Rock county with his parents, M. H. and Ellen (Torgeson) Ausen, now of Jasper. The former parent is now in bis fifty-fifth year and the mother is a year younger.

M. H. Ausen homesteaded on section 22, Rose Dell township, and on this farm our subject grew to manhood. He worked out on different farms until his marriage in 1900. He then rented the northwest quar- ter of section 26, remaining thereon five years. He then moved to his present farm, the southeast quarter of section 2, land which he rented for several years from his father-in-law, and then bought. In addition, he now rents and farms the southwest quarter of the same section. Mr. Ausen raises some full-blood stock.

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 82

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