An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 92

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 92
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 92

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).

Mr. Conway was married in Worthing-

ton, Minnesota, on January 8, 1908, to Win- nie Tierney, a native of Rock county and a daughter of Thomas Tierney. One child, Monica Elaine, was born to this union June 16, 1909. Our subject is a member of the Modern Woodmen and Knights of Co. lumbus orders, and of the Catholic church.

JAMES F. SNOOK (1885) is the senior member of the firm of Snook & Snook, who operate an up-to-date and popular res- taurant and confectionery store in Luverne. Born in MeLean county, Illinois, the tenth day of October, 1875, our subject was a lad of ten years when he accompanied his parents to Rock county, which has since been his home with the exception of a year spent in Nebraska. For ten years he lived on the home farm in Beaver Creek town- ship and then began his residence in Lu- verne. For one year he was associated with William Brittson in the management of a pool and billiard hall and then was sole proprietor of the same business for two years. For five years thereafter he was the owner and operator of a merry-go-round out- fit and in 1906 he formed a partnership with his cousin, Joseph L. Snook, and engaged in his present line of business. Mr. Snook is a member of the Odd Fellows lodge ot Luverne.

James is the son of Joseph L. and Sarah Snook, natives of the Buckeye state. They were early settlers of McLean county, Il- linois, and came to Rock county in 1885. For the past fifteen years the family have resided in Inverne. Prior to that Mr. Snook was one of Beaver Creek township's leading farmers. Mr. and Mrs. Snook, Sr., are the parents of the following six chil- dren: Mary (Mrs. D. A. Hulett), of Lu- verne; George, of North Dakota; James F., Walter, Mabel and Ira, all of Luverne.

ENGEBRET OLSON (1882), of Martin township, first saw the light of day in Hal- lingdal, Norway, March 27, 1866. His par- ents were Ole and Mary (Bredakkene) Ol- son. Engebret was early thrown upon his own resources, at the tender age of eight commencing to work out in order to contrib- ute to the family larder. He was 16 years of age when his career in American began.

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

He journeyed direct to Rock county, which has been his home for nearly thirty years. During the first year following his arrival, Mr. Olson herded cattle near Hardwick, liv- ing in a sod shanty the while. In 1886 he was married and established himself as a farmer of rented land. In 1907 he be- came the owner of the northwest quarter of section 6, npon which he is now building and upon which he expects to move. For a number of years past he has farmed and lived upon the northeast quarter of section 1, range 47.

The marriage of Engebret Olson to Mary J. Qualley was solemnized in Martin town- ship in Jannary, 1886. Mrs. Olson was born May 25, 1868, and died June 30, 1900. Five children were born to these parents, named as follows: Martin, born March 14, 1890; Ida, born January 13, 1892; Oscar, born Novem- ber 11, 1894; Mabel, born November 5, 1895; Engebor, born March 18, 1898. Mr. Olson and family are members of the Synod Nor- wegian Lutheran church.

EDWARD PHILIP KORNMANN (1892). who farms the south half of section 13, Den- ver township, began his earthly career in the city of Hamburg, Germany, April 28, 1875. He is the son of Philipp and Kather- ine (VanBergen) Kornmann, the former of whom is also a resident of Denver town- ship. The mother died at Sherman, South Dakota, in 1900. Edward was educated in the city schools of Hamburg, which was his home for the first sixteen years of his life. He was confirmed in 1889 and then commenced to work at the carpenter's

trade.

With an uncle and aunt, a brother and two sisters, Edward Kornmann immigrated to America in June, 1891, and resided at Davenport, Iowa, until March of the follow- ing year. He secured employment on a farm and during the winter months attend- ed the village school at Dixon, Iowa. In March, 1892, he accompanied his uncle, Henry VanBergen, to Rock county and re- sided with him on his Springwater township farm for a number of years, and then farm- ed on his own account in that township un- til 1901. He farmed a year near Sherman, South Dakota, then went to Sherburne county, Minnesota, remaining there until

1905, the fall of that year returning to Rock county to settle in Denver township. He has rented and lived on his present place since 1908. Mr. Kornmann raises stock quite extensively.

At Luverne, on January 27, 1898, the sub- ject of this review was married to Bertha Maria Lemke, a native of Pommern, Ger- many, where she was born June 17, 1874. She came to the United States at the age of nine months. The following eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Kornmann: Esther, born November 21, 1898; Hulda, born October 26, 1899; Margaret, born Feb. ruary 24, 1901; Bruno, born July 14, 1902; Martha, born February 24, 1905; Olga, horn November 5, 1906; Edna, born March 14, 1908: Eddie, born November 2, 1910.

The year 1910 will be remembered by the E. P. Kornmann family as one of disaster. In the fall of 1909 Hulda was operated upon for appendicitis. One year later Magar- ethe was operated upon for the same di- sease. This was followed by another opera- tion one week later, under which the child died. At the time of her death five of the other children of the family were low with typhoid fever but all recovered. Bruno, who had lain ill with the fever for two months, was taken with appendicitis, ne- cessitating an operation, which proved suc cessful.

JOHN THOMPSON (1890), Luverne shoe- maker, was born in Germany Septemher 15, 1862. He attended school there and until he was twenty-five years of age made his home with his parents, part of the time working for cattle men and buying and feeding cattle and sheep on his own ac- count in a small way.

When he was twenty-five years of age Mr. Thompson came to America and located first in Clinton, lowa, where three of his sisters were living. There he attended the public schools for a time. Later he lo- cated near Remsen, Iowa, where he was employed as a farm hand. He first came to Rock county in 1890 and resided here one year, being engaged in trading horses and breaking prairie. Thereafter for several years he traveled through the states of Min- nesota, lowa and Missouri, trading and ped- dling. He returned to southwestern Min-

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

nesota and spent one year farming in Pipe- stone county.

Mr. Thompson was not content io remain in one place long, and for several years after leaving Pipestone county he traveled over the country as a horse trader and peddler. One year he spent farming in Os- ceola county, Jowa, and then again traveled through Illinois and other states. In 190S he again became a resident of Rock county, locating in Luverne, where he has since lived, engaged in the shoemaker's busi- ness. Mr. Thompson has never married. He is a member of the Yeomen and German Lutheran lodges.

The parents of our subject were Detlof and Yeabke Thompson. In his early days Detlof Thompson was a farmer, but twen- ty years of his life were spent as a sailing master. He sold his ship and for fifteen years thereafter was a police officer at Freafolm, Germany. He died in 1902 at the age of seventy-five years. The mother of our subject died in 1908 at the age of seventy-five years. There were eight chil- dren in the family-six girls and two boys.

ARTHUR J. STORY (1906), farmer of Beaver Creek township, is a native son of Minnesota. He was born in Lyon county on July 30, 1882, and is the son of Albert and Sarah ( Southwick ) Story.' The father, a native of Wisconsin and of English descent, is a resident of Otter Tail county, Minne- sota. The mother of our subject, who was born in Pennsylvania, has been dead since 1899.

The Story family moved from Lyon conn ty to the adjoining one of Yellow Medicine when Arthur was ten years of age. Three years later, after spending the summer in Barnes county, North Dakota, they located in Otter Tail county and there our sub- ject was reared on a farm and educated in the district schools. He lived at home un- til after the death of his mother, in 1889, when he went to Valley Springs, South Dakota, and in that vicinity was employed on farms for six years. The winter of 1905 he passed in the timber country of Cass county, going from there to the town of Sheldon, North Dakota. In the fall of 1906 he established his residence in Rock county. lle hired out for two years, later

farmed a short distance southeast of Beav- er Creek, and in the spring of 1910 he rented and moved to his present place, the northwest quarter of section 23.

Mr. Story owns eighty acres of land in Otter Tail county, land he acquired nine years ago. He was the overseer of his road district in 1909. Fraternally he is af- filiated with the I. O. O. F. lodge of Valley Springs.

CHARLES R. UTLEY (1907) is a Mag- nolia township farmer. He was born on the ninth of January, 1883, in Delaware county, Jowa, and is the son of Charles L. and Margaret Elizabeth (Scott) Utley, both of whom are still living.

Charles Utley lived in Delaware county until attaining the age of fourteen. Then he accompanied his parents to a new home in Adrian, Minnesota. He early set up as a farmer, and up to the time of his arrival in Rock county in the year 1907, he con- ducted several different farms in the vicin- ity of Adrian. The year preceding his arrival in Magnolia township, his bome was in Westside township, Nobles county. He now lives on the southwest quarter of section 5 and farms 200 acres.

Mr. Utley was married in Adrian on October 19, 1905, to Carrie Ross, whose birthplace is in Wisconsin. They are the parents of two children, Inis, born March 27, 1907, and Theodore, born November 7, 1908. Mr. Utley holds membership in the lodge of the M. W. A. at Luverne.

FRANK SOUTAR (1893), contractor and builder of Luverne, was born in Forfarshire, Scotland, April 15, 1858, the descendant of a well known Scotch family and the son of George and Jane (Rew) Soutar. There were nine children in this family. Of the children, Frank, William and James are residents of Rock county; Catherine eame to America and located in St. Paul in the early eighties, married Peter M. Campbell, and died several years ago. The oldest brother, Charles, joined the English army when a young man and fought in the Zuln war in Africa. He distinguished himself in that campaign and after the war was made a trainer in an English military

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

school. Later he became one of the grand yeomen of the guard to King Edward. The parents of these children died on their es- tate in Scotland.

Frank received a common school educa- tion and at an early age began working on the farm. At the age of sixteen years he became an apprentice to the carpenter's trade, served a four years' apprenticeship at Guildyden, Scotland, and then worked at the trade four years longer. He came to the United States in 1881 and worked at his trade in St. Paul, Minnesota, until the fall of 1891. He lived in Duluth from that time until 1893, when he located in Luverne, and that city has since been his home. Dur- ing all of this time Mr. Soutar has been engaged as a contractor and huilder. Among the buildings erected by him are the stone building of the Manchester Biscuit com- pany and many other buildings, During a part of the time of his residence in Rock county Mr. Soutar has been engaged in farming in Kanaranzi township. His sons now live on the farm and conduct it.

Mr. Soutar was married in St. Paul in October, 1881 to Isabella Cameron, a daugh- ter of James and Annie (Gelletly) Cam- eron. She was horn in Dundee, Scotland, in 1862. Nine children have been born to this union, as follows: James C., Frank, George, Annie G., Charlie, Willard, Edward and Albert (twins) and Grace.

CHARLES BRAUER (1908), a Spring- water township farmer, was born in Sax- ony, Germany, on the twentieth of July, 1862. Both of his parents, David and Han- nah Brauer, lived and died in Germany.

David Brauer was a tailor in the town of Schestat, where it was our subject re- ceived an education and passed his youth. At the age of nineteen Charles severed home ties and crossed the Atlantic to seek his fortune in the new world. On arriving in the United States he journeyed to Omaha, Nebraska, and in the vicinity of that city he spent the next ten or eleven years, for the most part engaged in agricultural pur- suits. He moved from Nebraska to Cedar county, Iowa, where he was employed in railroad work, and in 1908 he became a resi- dent of Rock county. At that time he rent- ed the southeast quarter of section 18,

Springwater township, which he has since farmed.

Before leaving Nebraska, in April, 1891, Charles Brauer was married to Hilda Krug- er. To this union have been born three children, Meda, Ellen and Charles.

CHRIS O. NELSON (1900) is one of the well-to-do and enterprising farmers of Mar- tin township. At the last record his land. ed possessions covered an area of 1840 acres. Two hundred and eighty acres of this is productive Martin township soil; the rest is as follows: 960 acres in Wash- ington county, Colorado, 120 acres in Wood- bury county, Iowa, a half section in Winne- bago county, Iowa, and 160 acres located near Milner, North Dakota.

A man of achievement is Chris O. Nel- son of this review. He was born in Lasalle county, Illinois, July first, 1862. He is the son of Ole and Annie (Alsager) Nel- son, natives of Norway, who came to Am- erica and to Lasalle county in 1857. Two years after the birth of our subject the fam- ily moved to Clinton county, Iowa, where Chris was educated and grew to manhood on his father's farm. He commenced farm- ing for himself on rented land in Ida coun- ty, Iowa, at the age of twenty-five. He later bought 227 acres of land there, which he disposed of on coming to Rock county in 1900.

Mr. Nelson at once purchased the north- west quarter of section 34 and the south- east quarter of section 33, Martin town- ship, which he worked until 1906, when he rented the land and established a residence in Sioux City, Iowa, which was maintained for eighteen months. On July 1, 1908, he returned to Rock county and soon after became the owner of the southwest quarter of section 22 and the west half of the northwest quarter of section 27, of the same township. He sold 200 acres of this land in March, 1909, and his original Rock county holdings in February, 1910, at $100 per acre. With part of the proceeds he in- vested in Winnebago county (Iowa) land, paying $76 per acre for the same. In 1910 he traded his Sioux City property for his Woodbury county land.

Chris O. Nelson has been married twice. The first occasion was his marriage to Dor-

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

tha Anderson, at Calamus, Iowa, on June 18, 1885. Mrs. Nelson passed away April 12, 1890. Two children were born to this union: Bringle Eli, born July 31, 1886, and Martin Sever, born in March, 1890. The last named son died in the year of his birth. The second time Mr. Nelson was married January 31, 1895, to Annie Hilleson, who was born October 9, 1873, and is the daughter of Lars and Agnetta Hilleson, of Lee county, Illinois, where the mother now lives. Lars Hilleson died in October, 1892. One child, Annie Agnetta, was born to this union May 21, 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are members of the Synod Norwe- gian Lutheran church.

CHARLES BRUEMMER (1896) has been a Rock county farmer for the past fifteen years. A native of Germany, he was born in Mecklenburg on September 30, 1850. His father and mother, Hans and Johanna (Eichner) Bruemmer, lived and died in the land of the kaiser.

The first twenty two years of the life of our subject were passed in the land of his birth. His first location in America was Kiel, Calumet county, Wisconsin, where for four months he was employed in a brewery. He then went to Iowa and engaged in farm. ing, first near Davenport and later in Ben- ton county. He returned for a short time to Calumet county, but a little later we find him again at Davenport, from which place, after a six years' residence, he moved to Plymouth county, lowa. For two years previous to settling in Rock county in 1896, Mr. Bruemmer was a Lyon county (lowa) farmer. He now rents and farms the west half of section 21, Beaver Creek township.

In Plymouth county, Iowa, in 1884, our subject was married to Minnie Busse, who was born in Moline, Illinois, September 18, 1564, the daughter of John and Christina (Dressen) Busse, natives of Germany. To Mr. and Mrs. Bruemmer have been born the following named children: Bernhart, born February 26, 1885; Albert, born No- vember 13, 1886; Herman, born June 17, INSS; Robert, born December 28, 1890; Clara, born February 16, 1893: George, born March 31, 1901: and Clarence, born September 1, 1903. The family are mem- bers of the German Lutheran church.

ERICK RISTE (1907), a Rose Dell town- ship farmer, was born in Valders, Norway, September 9, 1SS7, a son of Knut and Enge- bor (Fystro) Riste. He was reared on a farm and educated in his native land, to which he bade farewell in 1907, at the age of twenty years, and journeyed to the United States and direct to Rock county. He worked out on a farm near Hills for the first year, then rented land and engaged in farming for himself. He has lived on his present place, the southeast quarter of sec- tion 11, Rose Dell township, since March, 1910.

Mr. Riste was married at Luverne on February 26, 1910, to Hilda Larson, the daughter of Lars and Elina (Simenson) Ol- son, of Norway, where also her birth oc. curred, February 23, 1887. Mr. and Mrs. Riste belong to the Norwegian Lutheran church.

T. G. TAMMEN (1893), a Martin town- ship farmer for the past eighteen years, is a native of Hanover, Germany, born March 22, 185S. Both his father and mother, George and Annie (Meyer) Tammen, are buried in Germany, the former dying in 1906 and the latter in 1903.

During the time of the residence of our subject in his native land, up to 1883, he was engaged in farming and milling. Dur- ing the year mentioned he immigrated to the United States and located in Iroquois county, Illinois, where he resided nine years. One-third of that time was spent as a farm laborer, then he rented a place which he conducted six years. After a resi- dence of two years near Ashton, Iowa, in 1893 he moved to Rock county. For nine years he rented land in Clinton and Martin townships and then bought his pres- ent farm, the southwest quarter of section 25, which includes all south of the railroad track. Since it came into his possession, Mr. Tammen has made all the improve- ments on the place and now has one of the fine homes of the township. He belongs to the Presbyterian church near Rock Rap- ids, Iowa. He was the prime mover in the work of building the German Evangelical church of Steen. Mr. Tammen built the foundation for the church.

While living in Germany and on July

FARM HOME OF T. G. TAMMEN, MARTIN TOWNSHIP

FARM HOME OF C. O. NELSON, MARTIN TOWNSHIP

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

3, 1881, Mr. Tammen was married to Flora Ennenga. One child, Gepkea, born to this union, died at the age of four years. Three of his brother's children, two boys and a girl, have been brought up by Mr. and Mrs. Tammen and now make their home with them. Mr. and Mrs. Tammen depart- ed August 28, 1910, an a trip to the old country, returning October 28 of the same year. After this visit to his old home, Mr. Tammen reports that the United States looks better than ever to him. He was ac- companied home by his sister's daughter, Dina Rosenboom, who will reside with Mr. and Mrs. Tammen.

NELS J. NELSON (1880) is one of three brothers (the other two being John and Charley) who are the sons of John Nelson, one of Rock county's most highly respected pioneers and today one of its most pros- perous citizens.

John Nelson, above mentioned, was born August 15, 1848, in Brandvold Soler, Nor. way. During the first years of his manhood lie came to America and to Minnesota. Aft. er a residence of two years at Lyle, in 1872 he joined the sturdy band of Norwegians whose indomitable activity in the early days of hardships and subsequent success have been mighty factors to which Rock county owes much of the richness of her history. Mr. Nelson took as a homestead the southeast quarter of section 15, Mar- tin township. He was married on Decem- ber 3, 1874, to Anne Christianson. His fa- ther has heen dead since 1892; his mother is still hale and hearty at the age of eighty- six years.

Nels of this sketch is the second son of this well-known family and was born May 25, 1880, on the old homestead in Martin township, which remains his home to the present day. Assisting in the management and cultivation of the fertile tract from his early youth, his labors have been blessed and today, with his father and brothers, he takes his place as one of the county's lar- gest land owners, a total of 1120 acres being recorded to the Nelsons' credit. Mr. Nel- son is one of the stockholders in the Hills Mercantile company, dealers in grain, flour and feed.

Mr. Nelson's marriage took place at Hills

on June 3, 1908, when he was united in wed- lock to Ida Moe, the daughter of Christ and Andrine (Skyberg) Moe. To these parents one child, Selma A., was born on February 21, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are members of Trinity church.

EDWARD O. THORSON (1908) is a Lu- verne physician and surgeon. He is a son of the late Andrew E. Thorson and Olena (Thompson) Thorson, the former a native of Wisconsin, the latter of Chicago. These parents were married in Wisconsin in 1872 and engaged in farming near Mount Horeb, in that state. Mr. Thorson died there May 11, 1891, at the age of forty-six years. Mrs. Thorson now resides at Canton, South Da. kota. They were the parents of eight chil- dren, of whom seven are living.

To these parents Edward O. Thorson was born at Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, on Feb- ruary 15, 1875. He spent his youth living on his parents' farm and attending the dis- trict schools. At the age of fourteen he entered the Mount Horeb academy and was a student there three years. Thereafter he clerked in stores in Madison, Wisconsin, until he began the study of medicine in Bennett Medical college, Chicago. He re- ceived his diploma from that institution, and in 1906 Dr. Thorson went to Colton, South Dakota, and practised his profession until 1908. In August of that year he lo- cated in Luverne and has since been en- gaged in practice. His office is in the First National Bank building.

Dr. Thorson was married at Churchs Fer- ry, North Dakota, August 1, 1907, to Alena Kleven, who was born in Klevenville, Dane county, Wisconsin, September 11, 1878. One child has been born to Dr. and Mrs. Thorson, Mildred Adeline, born April 28, 1909.

JENNIE O. HAGEN (1884) resides on the west half of the southwest quarter of sec. tion 23, range 47, Beaver Creek township. She is the daughter of Ole and Annie Boen and was born near Gransherred, Norway, on the ninth of April, 1850. She resided at home until 1880, the year of her immigra- tion to the United States. For four years thereafter she was employed at Stevens

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

Point, Wisconsin, and in 1884 arrived in Rock county. In August of the same year our subject married Tosten O. Hagen, who had come to Rock county from Norway. He was a native of Tinn, Tellemarken, Nor- way, and was born in January, 1855. Mr. Hagen met a violent death in February, 1885.

Mrs. Hagen is the mother of one child, Gina T. A., born April 16, 1885. Since 1903 she has also cared for an adopted son, Willie E. Rasmussen, who was born Janu- ary 23, 1895, and was formerly in the or- phan's home at Sioux Falls. Mrs. Hagen belongs to the United Norwegian Lutheran church.

HARRY W. MATHEWS (1898) is the pro- prietor of the leading dray and transfer business in Luverne, a line which employs constantly seven teams. Mr. Mathews first located in Luverne in 1898, at that time ac- cepting employment with the transfer firm of Jones & Shaver. After a year he pur- chased the interest of Mr. Shaver in the business, and the enterprise was conducted under the firm name of Jones & Mathews until the first of October, 1909, when Mr. Mathews succeeded as the sole proprietor. He is also one of the managers of the Lu- verne opera house, he with Sam Foight having leased the play house in Septem- ber, 1910, for a term of years.

native Towan, our subject first saw the light of day in Story county on October 12, 1876. His father, Ililes E. Mathews, was born in Ohio and died in 1892. Jennie M. ( Whaley) Mathews, his mother, a native of Sangamon county, illinois, is still living and resides with a son in Denver, Colorado. Harry is one in a family of six children, the others being Charles, of Denver, Colo- rado; Dwight, a baker on the battleship Montana; Bennett, of Denver; Mrs. C. J. Jordan, of Helena, Montana; and Mrs. C. W. Hunter, of Stroil, South Dakota.

Harry W. Mathews was educated in the district schools of Story county, and on his father's farm he passed his youth. At the age of eighteen he went to the city of Ames, lowa, which he made his home until removing to Luverne four years later. Our subject was married at Luverne on March 14, 1899, to Nella Smith, a native of Ames,

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 92

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