An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 96

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 96
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 96

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).

Haagen O. Tuff lived in his native land, attended the common schools, and worked on a farm until coming of age. He arrived in the United States during the month of November, 1872, and located in Fillmore county, Minnesota, where he was married and lived for one and one-half years.

In the spring of 1874 his career in Rock county began, In company with B. E. Ros- sum, he made the journey overland in an ox cart from eastern Minnesota, and the two gentlemen located in Martin township. Mr. Tuff bought the homestead right to the southwest quarter of section 32 from Knudt 11. Knudtson, the property costing him about $200. His finances were at a very low ebb and the young settler could pay but a meager fraction of the price of the claim and was forced to go into debt for the balance.

In order to make both ends meet during the first few years he walked to Lyon coun- ty. Iowa, fifteen miles from home, and hir- ed out as a laborer.

A small sod shanty and sod stable were built on the open prairie, and this was for five years the habitation of the hopeful set- tler and his young wife. Eighteen seventy- six, which always calls to memory the dire- ful grasshopper scourge, was a disastrous year. Mr. Tuff (and he was but one out of hundreds) harvested only five bushels of

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wheat to the acre from that season's crop. Those days are now past and with them all hardship. Today Mr. Tuff is the owner of a farm that is a model for the progressive agriculturist. The old shanty, later replac- ed hy a smal frame dwelling, has since giv- en way to a large and handsome residence, erected in 1901. The wild, raw prairie land has developed into a productive garden. A large roomy barn was put up in 1905, and now Mr. Tuff possesses one of the few ce- ment silos to be found in the country. In all he owns and farms 240 acres of land and makes a special point of raising fine stock. In addition to his- Rock county land, Mr. Tuff is the owner of a quarter section in Charles Mix county, South Dakota. He filed on the land as a timber claim in 1883, has improved the place and now rents it.

In Fillmore county, on the third of April, 1873, Mr. Tuff married Anne Hvattum, who was born in Norway May 27, 1853, and came to America in 1872. The following children have been born to them: Martineus, born July 26, 1874, died September 13, 1878; Gil- bert, born May 30, 1878; Bernard, born June 2, 1881; Marius, born November 15, 1884; Alma, born June 5, 1891. The chil- dren are all living at home. At the pres- ent time Mr. Tuff and family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Hills. For a number of years he served as a di- rector of school district No. 35 and at pres- ent holds the office of treasurer, this being his fifth term in such capacity.

ASHLEY STRAW (1900) has been a Rock county resident for the past eleven years and is now engaged in farming the north- west quarter of section 12, Mound town- ship. A native of Vermont, he was born in West Bolton, Chittenden county, August 26, 1864. He is the son of Cyrus and Sally (Stearns) Straw, both of whom were born in New Hampshire. The former died April 28, 1892, but the latter is still living and re- sides at Jasper. Both the Straw and Stearns families are of Scotch-lrish descent.

Ashley was ten years of age when he de- parted from New England with his par- ents, who had determined to establish a new home in the west. The family locat- ed on a farm in Taylor county, lowa, where it was our subject grew to manhood. He

left home in 1884 to seek his own fortune and for eleven years thereafter was a South Dakota farmer, residing for different per- iods of time in the counties of Beadle, Clark and Kingsbury. For three years following 1895, Mr. Straw farmed in Otter Tail and Todd counties, Minnesota. The summer aft- er leaving that region was spent at Garret- son, South Dakota. For the first year after locating in Rock county in 1900, he worked out in Rose Dell township, then for two years was a resident of Luverne. For the first part of that period he was employed in an elevator and later in the brick yard. Mr. Straw rented and has lived on his pres- ent farm since the fall of 1903.

In Clark county, South Dakota, on Febru- ary 19, 1891, Ashley Straw was married to Christina Redl, who died January 23, 1895. Two children, Edward and Maggie, were born to this union. On May 29, 1901, in Luverne, he married Lulu Beers. Mrs. Straw was born in Luverne April 9, 1882, and was brought up in Beaver Creek township. They have two children: Nettie, born August 29, 1903; and Ralph, born January 6, 1906.

WILLIAM WINKLER (1910) has been an actual resident of Rock county for a com- paratively sbort time, but for nearly twenty years previous to the spring of 1910, he was a well known farmer and political leader in the adjoining county of Lyon, Iowa, and so was more or less conversant with Rock county interests. A native of Saxony, Germany, he was born May 13, 1850, the son of John J. and Steen Wink- ler. Both parents are buried in the old country.

William was reared on a farm in the fa- therland and was eighteen years of age, when in 1868, he severed home ties and turned his eyes westward to the new world of opportunity. For the first eleven years in this country he was a resident of Cook county, Illinois, working out for a period, then as an independent farmer. His next move was to Ida county, Iowa, where he bought a farm and conducted the same for thirteen years, going from there to Lyon county in 1892. He bought his present Rock county land, 240 acres in section 35, Mound township, in October, 1909, and moved thereon the spring following. Mr. Winkler

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is also the owner of two sections of land in southern Alberta, Canada.

While in Lyon county our subject was an extensive breeder of high grade stock. He served on the governing board of his home precinct, Garfield township, for sixteen years, and for seventeen years was a direc- tor of his school district. Mr. Winkler is a stanch republican and has rendered aid to his party on more than one notable occa- sion. He and his family are members of the Methodist church of Luverne.

William Winkler has been twice married. His first wife, Caroline Rudolph, whom he married in Indiana on January 12, 1872, died in lda county, Iowa, in August, 1889. She was born in Germany on February 7, 1852. To this union were born eight chil- dren, all of whom are living and married. Their names follow: John, Annie, Hulda and Willie, all of Alberta, Canada; Chris- tina, of South Dakota; Louisa, of Ida Grove, lowa; Mary, of Oklahoma; and Frank, a doctor in South Dakota. In Sac county, lowa, in December, 1890, Mr. Winkler was married to Mary Paper, who was born in Indiana February 7, 1866. These parents have seven children, all residing at home. They are Albert, Walter, Weslie, Esther, Luella, Herbert and Henry.

HARRY S. RODMAN (1903) is the owner of 200 acres of finely improved land in Lu- verne township. After a residence of eight prosperous years in the county, he has be- come firm in the belief that Rock county is the garden spot of the universe. He is a native of McLean county, Illinois, where he was born May 8, 1873, the son of Samuel and Josephine (Nelson) Rodman, both of whom hailed from the Buckeye state. The history of the Rodman family can be traced back to the year 1600.

Two years after his birth, Harry moved with his parents to Vermilion county, Illi- nois, which was his home for twenty-eight years, or nntil coming to Rock county in 1903. He was reared on a farm and assist- ed his father with the work on the home place until 1895, when he commenced farm. ing for himself in Vermillion county. He bought his present farm in Luverne town- ship in March, 1903, and has made it his home since that date. The place has been

thoroughly tiled, every foot is under culti- vation, and it yields rich profits to its en- terprising owner. The farm adjoining Mr. Rodman's sold recently for $130 an acre. For three years our subject was a town- ship supervisor.

At Hoopeston, Illinois, on February 13, 1898, Harry S. Rodman was united in mar- riage to Della Newburn, who was born in Woodford county, Illinois, January 10, 1876. The following four daughters have been born to this union: Jennie Ruth, born Jan- mary 1, 1899; Josephine Ellen, born August 9, 1902; Alice Lucile, born June 6, 1907; and Florence May, born March 12, 1909.

JAMES HORNE (1893), manufacturer of and dealer in monuments, and ex-president of the Rock County Agricultural associa- tion, is a native of the county of Aberdeen, Scotland, and was born January 30, 1862. Until he was eighteen years of age he lived on his father's farm; then he began work- ing at the stone cutter's and stone mason's trade, at which he was employed until 1886.

In the year last mentioned Mr. Horne came to America and located at Quincy, Massachusetts. From that time until 1891 he worked at his trades in the following named towns : Quincy, Deadham, Spring- field and Boston, in Massachusetts; New Britain and New London, in Connecticut, and in New York city. The next year was spent working at his trade in Denver, Colo- rado; then, after visiting relatives in Min- nesota, he returned to his native land. There he was married, and in March, 1893, he re- turned to America and located in Luverne. In the fall of the same year he engaged in the monument business, in which he has ever since been engaged. He has built up a splendid business and draws trade from a large territory. He has a well equipped plant for the manufacture of marble and granite monuments, it being equipped with a pneumatic device with which can be done all classes of cutting and engraving. Mr. Horne was president of the Rock County Agricultural association in 1909 and 1910. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge and has held various chairs in that order.

Mr. Horne is the son of George and Chris- tina (Wilson) Horne, natives of Scotland, five generations of the family having been

FARM HOME OF II. O. TUFF, MARTIN TOWNSHIP'

JASCHON

SHOP AND MONUMENT WORKS OF JAMES HORNE, LUVERNE

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

horn on the same estate. There were eleven children in the family, of whom all grew to manhood and womanhood.

GUS H. STAFFLER (1902), a farmer of Battle Plain township, is a native of Mani- towoc, Wisconsin, and was born September 11, 1869. His parents were Fred and Lou- isa (Prueter) Staffler, natives of Germany, who settled in Wisconsin in an early day.

At the age of seventeen Gus H. Staffler left the protection of the parental roof and went to Benton county, Iowa, where he was employed at farm labor five years. He then returned to Wisconsin for a year, and from there came direct to Rock county in 1902. He worked on a farm near Hardwick for a number of years, then established himself as an independent farmer. He rent- ed the southeast quarter of section 30, Bat- tle Plain, which is still his home. He later bought the southwest quarter of section 29, which he also farms. Mr. Staffler is one of the stockholders in the Farmers Eleva- tor company of Hardwick. He is treasurer of school district No. 55 and is a member of the German Lutheran church.

In Luverne, on December 5, 1895, our subject was united in marriage to Agnes Thievoldt, a native of Benton county, Iowa. She was born April 23, 1879, and is the daughter of Earnest and Helam Thievoldt, both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Staffler are the parents of the following three children: Lena, born September 3, 1896; Alfred, born March 10, 1901; and An- na, horn June 17, 1905.

WILLIAM L. STRALOW (1903), proprie- tor of the Klondike livery barn of Luverne, was born in Germany October 31, 1871, the son of Carl and Mary Stralow. When two years old he accompanied his parents to America and resided with them in Will county, Illinois, until their death, his father dying in 1875 and his mother in 1880. He received a common school education in Will county, and in the spring of 1881 ac- companied his sisters to Buena Vista coun- ty, Iowa. There at an early age he began working out on farms, and after growing older he engaged in farming rented land,

which he followed nine years, part of the time in Cherokee county.

Mr. Stralow came to Rock county in 1903 and engaged in farming in Springwater township two years. He located in Luverne in 1905, bought the Klondike livery and feed barn, and has since conducted it. While residing in Cherokee county, Iowa, Mr. Stralow served as a director of school dis. trict No. 9, in Spring township. He is a member of Myrtle Lodge No. 67, I. O. O. F.

Our subject is the youngest member of the family. Two sisters, Louise Stralow and Mrs. Minnie Sodemann, reside in Lu- verne; another sister, Fina (Mrs. John Goos), lives in New Chicago, Illinois. Mr. Stralow is unmarried.

HANS J. SIERKS (1910) is one of the more recent arrivals attracted by the won- derful opportunities offered to the Rock county farmer. He moved from Iowa in 1910 and is now engaged in farming the southeast quarter of section 35 and the southwest quarter of section 36, Rose Dell township, land which he rents.

Hans is a native of Germany and was born in the hamlet of Heide, province of Schleswig-Holstein, on March 28, 1855. He is the son of Hans and Margretta (Claus- en) Sierks, the former a farmer by occupa- tion. Our subject attended the provincial schools, and after growing up assisted with the work on the home farm. He served in the German army three years. Following his discharge in 1880, he forsook native land to become an adopted son of Uncle Sam. His destination was Clinton county, Iowa, where he was employed at farm la- bor for a year; then he rented land and farmed in Crawford county. He returned to Clinton county, where he tilled the soil continuously for twenty-two years.

While residing in Crawford county, Iowa, on the last day of July, 1883, Hans J. Sierks was married to Maria C. Pohlmann, a na- tive of the same locality in Germany as her husband, where she was born July 15, 1856. Mrs. Sierks is a daughter of Carl A. and Anna M. (Evers) Pohlmann, both of whom are buried in the old country. This estimable couple celebrated their silver wedding anniversary Wednesday, July 31, 1908. The union has been blessed by the

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birth of six daughters, namely: Emma C. (Mrs. William Gregersen), born April 30, 1884; Bertha H. W. (Mrs. Paul Broderson), born May 11, 1887; Margrette E., horn Feb- ruary 28, 1889; Anna A., horn September 11, 1891; Helena A., born March 28, 1894; and Elfrieda M. S., horn May 28, 1897.

HANS CHRISTIANSEN (1892) owns and farms the east half of the northeast quarter of section 2, Mound township, and in ad- dition farms another eighty acres in the same section. He was born in Davenport, Iowa, November 20, 1870, the son of Claus and Johanna (Koos) Christiansen. The former parent, a native of Germany, came to the United States in 1860, and now lives in Stevens county, Minnesota. His mother, who was born in Davenport, is still living.

Our subject wes reared on a farm in close proximity to Davenport and received his education in the public schools of that city. He was twenty-two years of age when he left Iowa and located with his parents in Rock county. He resided in Beaver Creek township for the first four years, then rent- ed land in Kanaranzi township, for three years was on a farm belonging to Mrs. Bow- ers, then for five years on Henry Sundt's place, two miles south of Kanaranzi vil- lage. For two years thereafter he was a Springwater township farmer, then moved to his present farm in Mound. For two years Mr. Christeansen served as clerk of school district No. 64.

At Hardwick, on January 17, 1897, Hans Christiansen was married to Minnie Hei- den, a native of Germany, who came to the United States in 1892. To these parents have been born the following two children: Hugo Walter, born November 29, 1897; and Erna Marie, born May 8, 1899.

ERNEST ZEMKE (1898), proprietor of the Oak cafe and billiard hall of Hills, has resided in that thriving Rock county vil- lage ever since the fall of 1910, but for twelve years prior to that time he resided in Pipestone county. He is the son of Hen- ry and Dora Zemke, both of whom came early in life to this country from Germany. They were early settlers of Allamakee county, lowa, where occurred the birth of

Ernest Zemke on July 8, 1886. To these parents have also been born five daughters: Martha Feldman, of Trosky; Alvina Zieg- ler, of Holland; Minnie Symons, of South Dakota; Lilly, and Carrie Titus, of Idaho; and three other sons, Henry, of South Da- kota; George and Lester, of Idaho.

Two years after the birth of our subject the family moved to Osceola county, Iowa, and ten years later became residents of Pipestone county, where Henry Zemke bė- came the owner of a half section of land on sections II and 14, Rock township. Er- nest grew up on the home farm, which he rented and conducted for a year following the removal of his parents to their present home in the Snake river region of Idaho. The year previous to becoming a Hills business man Mr. Zemke farmed in Foun- tain Prairie township. Cigars, confection- ery and soft drinks are sold and lunches served at the Oak cafe.

Pipestone is the place and March 16, 1908, the date of the marriage of Ernest Zemke to Belle Wilkinson. One daughter, Evelyn, was born to these parents Febru- ary 24, 1910. Mr. Zemke is an Odd Fellow.

ANDREW J. NELSON (1909), farmer of Beaver Creek township, was born in Den- mark May 2, 1870. Ilis parents, Lars and Fredericka Nelson, are still living at ad- vanced ages in the land of the Danes.

Andrew was sixteen years of age when he set sail from native shores to seek his fortune in the new world. On arriving in this country, he journeyed to Lyon county, Iowa, and for five years was located just over the horder line from Rock county and only a short distance from the town of Steen. The two final years of his residence in Lyon county, Mr. Nelson farmed for himself, and on leaving that locality went to Brookings county, South Dakota, where he homesteaded and where he resided five and one-half years. On disposing of his right to the claim, he bought land near Valley Springs, South Dakota, again in close proximity to the Rock county line, this time on the west. Our subject dis- posed to his holdings in 1904 and spent the year following in Oklahoma, from which state he returned to Minnesota. He bought his present farm, the north half of section

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

24, range 47, Beaver Creek township, in the fall of 1908, and moved on to the place the following spring. This land he has since disposed of, and he vacated the premises in March, of the present year. He still owns a half section of choice land in Ly- man county, South Dakota.

Andrew J. Nelson was married in May, 1894, to Annie Flesner, a native of Ger- many who came to this country at the age of six years. To these parents the fol- lowing named children, three sons and six daughters, have been born: May, Pearl, Roy, Leonard, Elvina, Lulu, Lucile, Clara and Andrew. Lulu and Lucile are twins.

FRED BLOCKER (1894), of Kanaranzi township, the son of Christian and Minnie (Hartkop) Blocker, was born in Rock Is- land, Illinois, on February 17, 1868. The father died when Fred was six years of age.

Upon his parents' decease, the subject of this biography went to live with C. H. Gertz, a farmer near Davenport, Iowa. In the school near by he received his educa- tion and there he grew to manhood, the valued assistant of his guardian. His resi- dence in Rock county dates from 1894. That year he rented and settled upon the southwest quarter of section 20, Kanaran- zi township, and that has since been his home. He is one of the stockholders in the Farmers Eelevator company of Kanaranzi. For five years he served school district No. 60 as one of its directors. Ite is a member of the German Lutheran church and of the 3. W. A. lodge.

The date of Mr. Blocker's marriage in Davenport, lowa, to Mary Wulf was Feb- ruary 22, 1894. Mrs. Blocker is a daughter of Claus and Margrette Wulf, of Davenport. Six children, four of whom are living, have been born to this union. Adele and Fred are deceased. The living children are Louis, Erwin, Roy and Matilda.

SVEN JOSENDAHL (1900), a farmer of Mound township, was born in the city of Bergen, Norway, September 19, 1876. The father of our subject was Hans Josendalıl, a farmer, who died when his son was five years of age. His mother, Dordu (Josen-

dahl) Josendahl, still resides in the land of the Norse.

Sven was reared on a farm and educat- ed in his native country, which was his home until departing for America in 1900, at the age of twenty-four. All of the elev- en years he has now been an adopted son of Uncle Sam have been passed in Rock county. For the first three years he was employed at farm labor in Beaver Creek township, then for one summer he worked with the bridge crew on the Rock Island between Luverne and Grundy Center, Iowa. For some time thereafter he worked by the day at various agricultural pursuits, as a harvest hand, a thresher, a corn picker, etc. He then established himself as an in- dependent tiller of the soil. He farmed in Beaver Creek township four years, in Lu- verne township for half that length of time, and since the spring of 1910 has rented his present place, half of section 11, Mound township. He raises considerable stock.

Mr. Josendahl was married in Luverne on March 24, 1905, to Anna Onerheim, the daughter of Engebret and Margaret Oner- heim, of Beaver Creek township. She was born in Lee county, Illinois, February 25, 1884. Three children have blessed this un- ion, named as follows: Mabel, born March 9, 1907; Henry, born August 17, 1908; and Orville, born February 8, 1910. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Beaver Creek township.

JAMES CROSTON (1910) is one of the more recent additions to the ranks of Rock county's prosperous agriculturists. His par- ents, John and Lettia (Patterson) Croston, natives of New York and Ireland, respec- tively, were early day settlers of Dubuque county, Jowa, where our subject was born July 25, 1867.

James Croston grew to mature years in the county of his hirth. The education he received in the district schools was supple- mented by a two years' course in the Cas- cade high school. In 1894 he moved to Ply- mouth county, Iowa, rented land near the city of LeMars, and farmed five years. He then located on a quarter section he had bought in Minnehaha county, South Dako- ta, only a few miles from the Minnesota line. Deciding to get within the borders

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of the North Star state, he disposed of his holdings in Dakota and in the spring of 1910 located on his present farm, the north- west quarter of section 26, range 47, Springwater township. In Minnehaha coun- ty he served as a school director six years. He is a member of the M. W. A. lodge.

While still a resident of Plymouth coun- ty, on November 27, 1894, Mr. Croston was married to Mamie Kimmel, who was born May 14, 1870, and is a daugther of G. A. and Mary M. (Sibert) Kimmel. To this un- ion have been born the following three children: George E., born September 11, 1895; Alvin J., born July 25, 1899; and Irene M., born May 13, 1903.

ALBERT A. MEYER (1909) is one of the more recent additions to the ranks of Beaver Creek township's enterprising farmers. He was born at Amity, Scott county, Iowa, on the tenth of March, 1876. His father, Pet- er Meyer, came to America from his na- tive land of Germany at the age of eight years and has since then been a resident of Scott county. For a great many years he was a leading farmer of that Iowa county. He was married to Caroline Bies- ter, a native of Scott county and the mother of our subject.

Albert was reared on the farm of his father and received an education in the near by district school. At the age of twenty-two he began farming in Scott coun- ty on his own account, and two years later he entered upon a business career in the town of Amity. He conducted a general store at that point for several years, and on disposing of the same moved to the city of Davenport, which his employment was tht of a grocery clerk. We next find him in the employ of a general merchant at Du- rant, Cedar county, Iowa, with whom he re- mained four years. In the spring of 1909 Mr. Meyer returned to his original avoca- tion, came to Rock county and rented his present farm, the southeast quarter of sec- tion 5, Beaver Creek. He was appointed clerk of school district No. 44 in 1910. He belongs to the lodge of the K. P. order at Durant, lowa.

Albert A. Meyer was united in marriage at Durant on November 1, 1906, to Ida Schlapkohl, who was born at Stockton,

Towa, on April 4, 1878. By a former mar- riage Mrs. Meyer is the mother of two children, named Leona and Lloyd.

DANA M. BAER (1875), who conducts a distributing agency in Luverne, is a native of Kansas and was born July 19, 1874. When one year old he moved with his par- ents to Luverne and has practically made his home there ever since. He lived in Topeka, Kansas, from 1882 to 1885.

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 96

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