An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 97

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 97
USA > Minnesota > Pipestone County > An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota > Part 97

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).

Dana secured his education in the pub- lic schools of Luverne and in the Kansas schools, attending his first school in the basement of the old Methodist church on Main street. He began working out at the age of fourteen years and was so em- ployed until 1894, when he started in busi- ness for himself, opening a distributing agency in Luverne. Later he learned the printer's trade in the office of the Rock County News, being employed there eigh- teen months. For several years he was employed in hotels in different parts of the country-at Madison, Albert Lea, Water- town, Faribault and La Crosse. In 1908 Mr. Baer again engaged in the distribut- ing business and has since maintained an office in Luverne.

The parents of our subject are Aaron and Mary Ann (Weber) Baer, natives of New York state. They moved to Kansas in the early seventies, engaged in farming several years, and then came to Rock coun- ty in 1875. They resided in Luverne until November 12, 1910, when they departed for Willow Springs, Missouri, where they will reside indefinitely.

ALBERT T. THOMPSON (1887) is one of Rock county's native sons and one of the younger of its progressive agricultur- ists. He is the son of those early Martin township settlers, Ole and Olena (Olson) Thompson, who homesteaded the north- west quarter of section 13, range 47. Nor- way is Ole Thompson's native land, while his wife is a product of the frontier days of Dakota. Albert is the oldest in the family of four sons and four daughters. The names of the others are Mary, Olia, Net- tie, Tollof, Emma, Nels and Otto.

Our subject was educated in the dis-

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trict schools of his native precinct and as a boy assisted with the manifold duties on the farm. At the age of seventeen he re- ceived his appointment as mail carrier on rural route No. 1, ont from Hills, and effi- ciently served in that capacity six years. In the spring of 1910 he commenced farm- ing and now works the southwest quarter of section 14, which he rents from Otto Paulson. He shares with his father in the ownership of the northwest quarter of sec- tion 11, range 47, which they bought in 1906.

Albert Thompson was married July 1, 1910, to Bergetha Jordahl, of Beaver Creek township. He is a member of the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

OLE J. LEIN (1892), a Rock county res- ident for the past nineteen years and a farmer of repute, is a native of Valders, Norway, where he was born April 11, 1870, the son of John and Maret Lein, who still reside in the old country. Ole was twenty years of age when he severed home ties and journeyed across the Atlantic to the United States. He worked for two years at farm labor in Renville county, Minne- sota, and in 1892 located in Rock county and commenced farming rented land. Since 1905 Mr. Lein has lived on and conducted a farm of his own, the northwest quarter of section 7, Martin township. He is the overseer of road district No. 37.

At Luverne, on November 14, 1896, our subject was married to Eliza Qualley. Mr. and Mrs. Lein are the parents of the fol- lowing named children: Mabel, John, Jens, Enga and Eliza. The family are members of the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

HERMAN EKMAN (1897) has heen en- gaged in the blacksmith, horse shoeing and wagon making business in Magnolia since the first of April, 1897 He is a native of Sweden and was born at Jankoping Decem- her 10, 1858. He is the son of John and Mary Ekman, both deceased, who were the parents of a family of eight children, of whom Herman was the first born.

Our subject received a fairly good edu- cation in the land of his birth. At the age of twelve he was apprenticed to a master

blacksmith, from whom he acquired

a thorough knowledge of the trade, at which he worked in Sweden until he came to the United States in 1887. He located first at Cherokee, Jowa, where he was employed on the section and in the railroad shops for two years. For seven years thereafter he followed his occupation in Sioux City and in 1897 commenced his residence in Mag- nolia. The business he conducts was pur- chased from Christ Johnson. Mr. Ekman owns two residence properties in Magnolia besides his place of business. He is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church and of the Modern Woodmen lodge.

While a resident of Sioux City, on Oc- tober 22, 1892, Mr. Ekman was married to Carolina Johnson, who was born in the same locality in Sweden as was her hus- band, on May 28, 1859. Mrs. Ekman came to this country in 1888. They have no children.

GUST CARL (1902) engages in farming on the northwest quarter of section 2, Mag- nolia township. He is a native of Illinois, having been born in Henry county on March 12, 1882. His father, Martin Carl, who was a native of Germany, died in Illi- nois about twenty-two years ago. His mother, Amelia (Janke) Carl, also died in Illinois.

Gust was reared on the Henry county farm and obtained his education in the district schools. Leaving home at the age of twenty, he commenced the battle of life for himself. The year of attaining that age, in 1902, he came to Rock county, which has since been his home, with the excep- tion of two seasons spent in the harvest fields of North Dakota. He worked out for different farmers until 1908, when he rented his present location, the northwest quarter of section 2, and has been success- ful in its operation.

Mr. Carl was married November 6, 1908, in Sargent county, North Dakota, to Ella Noe, whose birthplace also is Henry coun- ty, Illinois. They have one child, Esther.

BEN HAGEDORN (1894) with his broth- er Louis was until recently the proprietor of a Hardwick saloon. He was born in Scott

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county, Iowa, November 16, 1884, the son of Carl and Malme Hagedorn, natives of Germany. Both parents came to America in their younger days and after their mar- riage settled in Scott county, towa. In 1894 they moved to Rock county and set- tled on land purchased in Battle Plain township, where Mr. Hagedorn died Janu- ary 18, 1909. His wife, the mother of onr subject, continues to reside at Hardwick.

Ben Hagedorn of this sketch moved with his parents to Jackson county, Minnesota, when a lad five years of age. Five years later his residence in Rock county began. For five years he farmed rented land in Mound township, and for the same length of time he was a Battle Plain township farmer. In 1906 he settled in Hardwick. For three years he was em- ployed as bartender in one of the saloons, engaging in the business for himself after May, 1909. Recently he has again engaged in agricultural pursuits.

Mr. Hagedorn was united in marriage at Luverne on January 6, 1909, to Marie Schuldt, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Schuldt, of Lake Wilson. One son, Lloyd, was born to these parents, November 7, 1909.

ADAM HOFSOMMER (1898), Denver township farmer and stock raiser, is a native German. He was born in the land of the kaiser November 3, 1875, the son of Ilenry and Christina (Schnell) Hofsommer. Adam attended the German common schools until he was fourteen years of age, then with his parents crossed the Atlantic to make setlement in the new world. The fam- ily resided on a farm near Dysart, lowa, until 1898, moving that year to Pipestone county. Henry Hofsommer bought the southeast quarter of section 8, Elmer. In 1903 our subject rented the northwest quar- ter of section 4, Denver township, just over the line in Rock county, and still farms that land. Mr. Hofsommer is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs. He is a member of the Ger- man Evangelical church and the A. O. U. W. lodge.

At Dysart, lowa, March 6, 1902, Mr. Hof- sommer was married to Susan Schramser, who was born November 3, 1880, the dangh.

ter of Frank and Catherine (Kerst) Schram- ser, both natives of Germany. One son, Chris, was born to these parents, August 19, 1906.

IOIN S. PEDERSEN (1899) farms the north half of section 19, Luverne township. He was born in Christiansand, Norway, October 23, 1876, the son of Peter and Em- ma (Olson) Stredsland. Both parents died in the old country.

John resided on the farm of his birth until the first year of his manhood. Then, severing home ties, he crossed the Atlan- tie and became an adopted son of Uncle Sam. For the first two years after his ar- rival in this country he resided in Lyon county, Jowa, working at farm labor; then he crossed over the line into Rock county, which has since been his home. He has rented different places, but since 1908 has made his home on the land above describ- ed. Mr. Pedersen is unmarried.

WALTER E. JENNINGS (1904), who farms the southwest quarter of section 32, Vienna township, first saw the light of day in the town of Union Center, Illinois, March 17, 1882. Both his father and mother, L. F. and Electa (Rude) Jennings, were na- tives of Illinois and were of English de- scent. The former is now a merchant of Woodberry, Illinois; the latter died in 1894.

Walter was brought up in an atmosphere of trade and his early life was divided be- tween attention to studies in the village schools and his father's stores, first at Un- ion Center and later at Casey, Illinois. He was seventeen years of age when the fa- ther disposed of his business interests and began the life of a farmer in Ebert, Cum- berland county, Illinois. Three years later our subject severed bome ties, worked for two years at farm labor in Greenup, Illi- nois, and in 1904 found his way to Rock county. He secured employment in Beaver Creek township and so continued for two years. He was a mail weigher on the Omaha railroad for four months, then was absent a year near Fort Pierre, South Da- kota, where he filed on a homestead claim, upon which he commuted and returned to Rock county. He farmed in Beaver Creek

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township until the spring of 1910, when he moved to his present location.

At Greenup, Illinois, on February 7, 1902, the marriage ceremony making Wal- ter E. Jennings and Carrie Patrick man and wife was solemnized. Mrs. Jennings was born in Greenup July 14, 1886, and is the daughter of William and Emma (Temple- ton) Patrick. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Jennings: Maud. Homer, Lloyd and Harold.

HENRY WILLEMS (1907), a Springwa- ter township farmer, is a native of Ert- velde, Belgium, where he was born August . 1897; John H., born May 9, 1901; Mina P., 9, 1859, the son of Ben and Emelie (Delat- er) Willems. He was thirty-four years of age when, in 1893, he crossed the Atlantic with his family to make settlement in the new world. For eleven years Mr. Wil- lems was a coal miner in Henry county, Illinois. Then he rented land and commenc- ed farming in that county and continued so until 1907, when he arrived in Rock coun- ty and rented the land he now farms, the northwest quarter of section 6, range 47.

Our subject was married in Belgium on November 6, 1884, to Steffney DeWolf, who was born June 13, 1858. The following named children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Willems: Ella, born September 26, 1885; Mary, born October 5, 1886, died May 10, 1887; Kamel, born Octoher 29, 1887; Serfean, born July 27, 1889; Ademon, born November 27, 1890; Amel, born Febru- ary 7, 1893; Gertrude, born December 22, 1897, died October 2, 1899; and Frank, born January 15, 1901.

MATHIAS O. PETTERSON (1902), of Rose Dell township, first saw the light of day in Vaagens, Prostejeld Lofotden, Nor- way, on February 24, 1873. His parents were Peter and Marn (Svenson) Lyngver, both of whom are deceased. The former died in 1907 and the latter in 1908.

Our subject had the advantages of a com- mon school education in the land of his birth. With the exception of the last three years in Norway, Mr. Petterson assisted with the work on the home farm. The per. iod of three years mentioned he worked out for other farmers. He immigrated with

his family to America in 1902, coming di- rect to Rock county. He worked out in Beaver Creek township for one year, farmed a year in Pipestone county, and then rented and settled on his present płace, the southeast quarter of section 17, Rose Dell township. He is a member of the Synod Norwegian Lutheran church.

Nr. Petterson was married in the land of the Norse on September 24, 1897, to Alexandria Johnson, who was born Septem- ber I8, 1872, to Johan and Hansine (Gul- bransen) Anderson. To Mr. and Mrs. Pet- terson have been born the following chil- dren: Katinka O. M., born November 16, born August 18, 1906; and Erling H., born November 22, 1908.

AMIL KRANTZ (1909) has been a resi- dent of Rock county only a few years, but in that time he has become convinced of the great possibilities accruing to the in- dustrious farmer from the cultivation of its fertile soil. Our subject was born in Germany on the twenty-ninth day of July, 1874. Three years later he accompanied his parents. August and Verenicka Krantz. to America, the family settling near Rich- mond, in Walworth county, Wisconsin. There Amil attended the district schools and grew up on his father's farm. From his very early boyhood he was engaged in different kinds of farm work and has con- tinued to follow that vocation up to the present time.

He was married in Richmond, Wisconsin, in 190S to Carrie M. Olson, the daughter of Cornelius and Anna Olson. The former is a native of Norway, while Wisconsin is the birthplace of the mother. Mrs. Krantz was born February 13, 1874. One child, Iola S .. was born to them on March 26, 1909. The southeast quarter of section 14, range 47. Martin township, which is now the family home, was willed to Mrs. Krantz by an uncle, Jens Olson, who was also the sponsor at her baptism.

Jens Olson, born in Kragre, Norway, came to America in 1853 and settled near Whitewater, Wisconsin. In 1873 he jour- neyed westward to Rock county, Minneso- ta, and homesteaded the land previously de- scribed. He never married and lived a

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

solitary life on his farm until his death, which occurred in September, 1903. The year preceding his death, Mrs. Krantz, then Carrie Olson, came from Wisconsin to keep house and care for her uncle. which she did faithfully up to the time of the old gentle- man's decease. There was always a bond of attachment existing between uncle and niece and the old homestead became her property, the gift of the fond relative.

WILLIAM HINZ (1900) has resided in Rock county for the past eleven years and is now engaged in farming the northwest quarter of section 22, Denver township. His parents, Claus and Sophia (Stamann) Hinz, also reside in Denver township. William was born in Tama county, Iowa, October 5, 1885, and three years later accompanied his parents to Nobles county, Minnesota. The family lived for eleven years on a farm north of Adrian and in 1900 moved over to Rock county. Our subject lived with his folks on section 12, Rose Dell township, until renting his present place, in March, 1910, and commencing his career as an independent farmer.

At Luverne, on November 10, 1909, Wil- liam Hinz was united in marriage to Al- vina Heckt, also a native of Tama county, Towa, where she was born January 9, 1883. She is the daughter of Clans Heckt, of Lu- verne. Mr. and Mrs. Hinz are members of the German Lutheran church of Hard- wick.

DAVID S. WALTER (1897) is the pro- prietor of a Hills barber shop. Ile was born in Adams county, Pennsylvania, March 8, 1873, and is the son of Conrad B. and Martha (Stoner) Walter, both natives of the Keystone state. The father of our subject is still living in Adams county but Martha Walter died a number of years ago.

David lived on his father's farm and at- tended the district school near by until he attained his majority. At the age of twen- ty-one he left home to go to Chicago, and in that city he learned the barber's trade and worked at it for a number of years, or until 1897, when he moved to Hills and opened a shop of his own. Two years later he bought the building which at pres-

ent houses his business. He operates a two-chair shop and has a large patronage. Mr. Walter is also the owner of residence property in the village. He is a member of the Hills fire department.

At Sioux Falls, on May 22, 1901, David S. Walter was united in marriage to Martha Yestness, who was born in Norway January 12, 1877, and came to this country when sixteen years of age. She is the daughter of Torbjarn and Martha Yestness. The for- mer is deceased. Mrs. Yestness is still a resident of Norway.

MIKE P. PENDERGAST ( 1908), deceas- ed, was for two years prior to his death a Clinton township farmer. Lasalle, Illinois, was the county of his birth, which event occurred November 21, 1864. His parents, Martin and Napy (Welch) Pendergast, were natives of the Emerald isle and came to this country wben children. Martin Pen- dergast, whose occupation was that of a farmer, died in Illinois April 30, 1907. The mother died the year previous, on Au- gust 17.

When in his first year, Mike Pendergast moved with his parents to Livingston coun- ty, of his native state, and that was his home until 1908, the year of his arrival to Rock county. The life of the average coun- try boy was his. After finishing his edu- cation in the near by district school, he as- sisted his father on the home farm until 1890, when he set up as an independent farmer. For eighteen years he farmed in Livingston county, part of the time on rented land and part of the time on hold- ings of his own. He arrived in Rock county March 3, 1908, and thereafter farmed the south half of section 19, Clinton township. Mr. Pendergast died in the fall of 1910 as the result of an acci- dent.

At Dwight, Illinois, on February 3, 1891, Mr. Pendergast was married to Rose P. Conway, who was born in Livingston conn- ty, Illinois, February 25, 1866, and who is the daughter of Martin and Rose Conway, both deceased. The following named chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Pendergast : Mary, born October 30, 1891; Frances, born August 25, 1893; Florence, born November

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ROCK COUNTY BIOGRAPHIES.

15, 1895; Mike, born August 25, 1898; and Leo, born November 30, 1901.

Mr. Pendergast owned a two-fifths inter- est in the farm on section 19, the remainder belonging to the other heirs of the late Mar- tin Conway, the original owner.

JACOB LE CLEIR (1907) is a farmer of Beaver Creek township residing a short dis- tance east of the village of the same name. He is a native of Holland and was born March 1, 1865, the son of John and Johanah LeCleir, who now reside in Illinois.

Jacob LeCleir spent the first twenty-eight years of his life in his native land, having been brought up on a farm. He came to America in 1893, landing in the city of Philadelphia on March 23. The first four years of his life in the new world were spent working as a farm hand in Ontario county, New York. Toward the close of the year 1897 he went to Henry county, Illinois, where for the next ten years he engaged in farming. He came to Rock county in 1907 and has since been engaged in farming in Luverne and Beaver Creek townships. He located on his present farm, the southeast quarter of section 23, in the spring of 1911.

The gentleman whose name heads this sketch was married in Holland May 2, 1890, to Matilda Van Damme. She died on No- vember 16, 1899, after having horne the fol- lowing named five children: Ella (Mrs. Beter Drowden), who resides near Kenneth; and Mancie and Augustine, who reside with their father; Paul and Elizabeth (twins), who were born November 16, 1899, and died nine months later.

HENRY SUHL (1905) is one of the large farmers and successful stock raisers of Battle Plain township. With his sons he is engaged in farming a section of land. He is the owner of the north half of section 10; the rest of the land he rents. The stock he raises is of the very highest grade.

Henry Suhl is a native of Holstein, Ger- many, where he was born January 24, 1852, the son of John and Margaret (Peters) Suhl, both of whom lie buried in the father- land. The former died in 1897, and the lat- ter passed away one year previous. Our subject bade farewell to native land at the

age of twenty-six, in 1878, to cast his for- tune in America, after having heen for a number of years a German farmer. He was employed for four years on a farm thirty miles east of Buffalo, New York, and then journeyed westward. For three years he worked at farm labor near Daven- port, Iowa, after which he located in Jack- son county, Minnesota. He farmed rented land for seven years in Sioux Valley town- ship and for nearly twice that length of time was a Lyon county (Iowa) farmer. He bought his present land and has been established in Rock county since 1905. For five years past Mr. Suhl has served as a director of his school district.

The marriage of Henry Suhl to Lena Hel- ene was solemnized at Davenport, Iowa, on the twelfth of January, 1883. Mrs. Suhl was born in Holstein, Germany, February 26, 1862. Ten children have been born to these parents, namely: John, Ed, Alma, Louis and Willie, twins; Ella, Laura, Ag- nes, Henry and Lillie. With the exception of the oldest son John, who resides in Nobles county, all the children live at home.

JOHN OLSON (1905) has for the past five years been identified with the agricultural interests of Kanaranzi township. He is the son of Ole and Johanna Sorenson and a na- tive of Norway, in which country his birth occurred on the fourteenth of July, 1872.

The subject of this sketch lived at home with his parents until reaching the age of sixteen. Then for seventeen years he en- gaged in a seafaring life. Until 1900 he served with a Norwegian merchant vessel. During that period he made repeated visits to France, England, Germany, and ports in many other foreign countries. He landed at Savannah, Georgia, in 1900, and since that date America has been his home. For four years he was employed on the docks in New York city and then shipped for a time on a number of the large boats on the Great Lakes.

While visiting Chicago in 1905, he was prevailed upon to seek his fortune in Minne- sota's land of enchantment. He came to Rock county and for a year worked on the farm of Ed. Appleby, in Clinton township. In 1906 he rented his present home, the southwest quarter of section 18, Kanaranzi

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township, which he has since continued to farm. Mr. Olson is unmarried.

Since the above was written, on March 31, 1911, Mr. Olson died at his home in Kana- ranzi township.

OTTO SODEMANN (1890) has been a Rock county resident for all except the first five years of his life. Near Peterson, lowa, on November 29, 1885, he was born, the son of Henry and Minnie (Stralow) So- demann. Both parents were natives of Ger- many and came to this country at the ages of nine and fifteen years, respectively. They resided in Illinois and later in Jowa previous in coming to Rock county. The father died April 26, 1906; the mother is still living and resides in Luverne.

In 1890 Otto and his parents became identified with Rock county interests. His . youth was passed on his father's farm in Luverne township and his education was se- cured at the school of district No. 13. In the first year of his manhood he com- menced farming on his own account in Lu- verne township, and in the spring of 1910 he rented the land he now farms, the south- east quarter of section 28, Mound township. He is a member of the A. O. U. W. lodge of Luverne.

In Luverne township, on September 8, 1909, Mr. Sodemann was united in marriage to Dorothy Herman. Mrs. Sodemann is a native of Scott county, lowa, and was born March 22, 1891.

ED. PEET (1901), who farms the south- east quarter of section 4, Luverne township, is Minnesota born, his nativity occurring May 9, 1870, in Mower county. His father, William Peet, was an early settler of Mower county and has a record of more than fifty years continuous residence to his credit. His prosent home is in Brownsdale, Mower county. William Peet is a native of Sheffield, England, and came to America when a boy of fifteen. The mother of our subject, Sarah (Rosaye) Peet, a native of Pennsylvania, is still living.

For the first twenty-seven years of his life Ed. Peet lived on the home farm in Mower county, leaving in 1897 to go to Montevideo, Minnesota, near which place

he engaged in farming for two years. Heed- ing a call to the southland, in 1899 Mr. Peet went to Texas, locating on the border near Oakland, Oklahoma, and there he work- ed for six months in a tie camp. His next home was in Sioux City, lowa, in which city he followed teaming as an occupa- tion. July, 1901, marks his advent to Rock county. The first summer he hired out to a farmer near Magnolia, then rented and conducted a farm in Beaver Creek township for five years. After a year spent as a farmer in Ward county, North Dakota, Mr. Peet returned to Rock county and located on section 28, Luverne township, which he farmed until the spring of 1910, when he settled on his present farm, described above.

At Owatonna, Minnesota, on June 24, 1893, Mr. Peet was united in marriage to Emma Betcher, a native of Red Wing, Min- nesota. The following children have been born to this union: Earl, born April 5, 1896; Iva, born August 9, 1898; Willie, born in September, 1904; Clinton, born January 1, 1907; and Marsel, born October 24, 1909.

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An illustrated history of the counties of Rock and Pipestone, Minnesota, Part 97

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