USA > Minnesota > Waseca County > Child's history of Waseca County, Minnesota : from its first settlement in 1854 to the close of the year 1904, a record of fifty years : the story of the pioneers > Part 3
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They intended at first to settle about where Steve Krassin has a farm near the southwest corner of St Mary township, but they soon learned that the Winnebago Indians owned the western tier of seetions in St. Mary, and they were obliged to seek other loca-
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
tions. Martin, his father, Gottlieb, Sr., and his brother, John F., made claims in sections 34 and 35. Fred Prechel, then a single man, made his elaim in seetion 34, next to Martin's. Fred Wob- sehall, also a bachelor at that time, made his elaim in section 35, where he resided up to the time of his death. All of these were in St. Mary township. Gottlieb Prechel and family first settled in the same township, on section 32, but the next year exchanged with Christian Krassin and settled on section 27, in St. Mary, where Mr. Prechel resided with his family until his death. John G. Greening, who came with the Krassins, was the first blacksmith to settle in the county, and he decided to make his home in the town of Ofisco, on section 7. He constructed the first dugout in the county. hate that fall, his log cabin took fire and was consumed. It was too late to build another, so he dug ont a house in a side-hill, covered it with hay and sod, and lived there during the winter very comfortably.
Very soon after the arrival of Martin Krassin and his company, two brothers. Joseph Bird and Abram Bird, and their brother-in- law, John White, with their families, settled in the vicinity of what has sinee been known as St. Mary. Abram Bird settle 1 on seetion 4, Wilton ; Joseph Bird on Section 32. St. Mary: and John White, on section 33 of the latter town. The Bird brothers and their sister, Mrs. White, were English by birth, while John White was a native of the Emerald Isle. The Birds were indus- trious and successful farmers. Abram died in February, 1869. leaving a widow and several children. Joseph, about 1570, sold his farm and removed to Oregon. John White some years ago removed to Iosco, where he died.
Almost simultaneously with the settlement of the Messrs. Bird and White, came Bernard Gregory and his brother-in-law named Tower, with their families. The Tower family remained long enough to help Mr. Gregory build his log house on section 32. St. Mary, and then pushed on further west into what was then called the Blue Earth valley. Mr. Gregory's family consisted of his wife, two daughters, women grown, and three sons somewhat younger. Lonise A. Gregory. the elder daughter, married a Mr. Ballard. She died Angust 15, 1878, aged forty-one years, five months and twelve days. Martha, the younger, became the wite of Mr. Robert B. Moore, of this county. She passed away De-
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
cemeber 5, 1875, aged thirty-seven years, six months and thirteen days. Mr. Gregory died in this county July 12, 1880, aged eighty- one years, five months and thirteen days. His wife, Amanda C., died February 28, 1883, aged sixty-seven years, eight months and fourteen days. Austin, the oldest son, died in 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Gregory were kind hearted, agreeable toward strangers, and, during their first year's residence, kindly entertained many a weary traveler. Peace to their ashes.
The latter part of June, the same year, Andrew Scott and wife, parents of Chris. Scott, accompanied by their son, Charles D. Scott, with his wife, came on from Wisconsin. The old gentleman was a "character," having some peculiar ways. He first made a claim on section 24, in Wilton, which he sold to John Jenkins, and then made one on section 13, in the same town. After much suffering from blood poison, which commenced in his feet, the old gentleman died about 1863 in Wilton. C. D. Scott made his claim on the town line between Otisco and Wilton, in sections 13 and 18, where he lived for many years, but always in poor health. He finally lost nearly all his property. He died several years ago.
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CHAPTER IX, 1855.
LOST MAN ON THE PRAIRIE-HEINRICH F. BIERMAN OUT TWO DAYS AND NIGHTS WITHOUT FOOD-MICHAEL ANDERSON IN OTISCO-OTHERS COME IN 1855.
About the first day of July that first summer, just after sunrise, while near the cabin door and looking south across the prairie toward the headwaters of Big Boot creek, I saw what appeared to be, at first sight, a lone Indian eoming towards me. Living alone, as I did that summer, I always watched the approach of strangers with some curiosity. I soon discovered that the man was not an Indian, but an unarmed white man. It was half an honr or more from the time the man was first seen to the time when he arrived at the cabin. In the meantime breakfast had been prepared for two. As the traveler stepped to the open door, he politely lifted his hat and said, in excellent German, "Guten morgen," and asked me if I could speak German? Find- ing that he conld make himself understood, he went on to say that he left Owatonna two days before, expecting to reach this settlement the first day. He lost the trail soon after leaving Owatonna, and wandered off in a southwesterly direction. As nearly as could be made out, he must have reached Beaver lake, where the first night overtook him. The next day, he traveled in a westerly direction, and night overtook him on the bank of Big Boot creek, on section 12, town of Byron. Ile had not par- taken of any food after leaving Owatonna. The mosquitoes and flies had bled him on his face and neck, which were covered with blotches, and he looked as though he had been sick. That morn- ing, about daylight, he had heard the cow and sheep bells, ou
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
the Sutlief ranch, and, as the morning sun lifted the curtain of night, he was overjoyed to see smoke issuing from the cabin stovepipe, and again to hear the sound of bells in the stock yards. He ate sparingly of bread and new milk for breakfast and then lay down to sleep. At noon he awoke, much refreshed, and during the afternoon helped about the work until evening, when I went with him to the house of Mr. Greening, three miles distant. He was Mr. Heinrich F. Bierman. He directly made a claim in sections 13, in Wilton, and 18, in Otisco, where he made his home the remainder of his life. He was a most excellent citi- zen. His death was accidental, being caused by a fall from a wagon, December 22, 1882.
His widow at this writing resides in Waseca, and his children, five in number, are all residents of this state. Very soon after Mr. Bierman's arrival, one of those odd characters ofttimes found in communities, made his appearance, and with him came his brother and brother's family. John Jenkins, the odd genius, was a bachelor from Herkimer county, "Old York State," as any one would learn on the very shortest acquaintance with him. David J. Jenkins, his brother, had a fine family. "Uncle John," it was given out, had some money, while David was blessed with wife and children, but no money to speak of. "Uncle John" bought a part of the Scott and Plummer claims, on sections 24 and 13, in Wilton. David made no claim at first and lived with his family on John's claim, each having a cabin, although all ate at the same table. More will be said of these people further on, but here suffice it to say that, at the present writing, David J. Jenkins' family are living near Janesville, while "Uncle John" enlisted in the Fifth Minnesota Infantry and died at Iuka, Miss., August 21st, 1862.
In July of the same year, Michael Anderson, a native of Nor- way, made a claim in sections 28 and 33 of Otisco. He was a first-class man, of native ability, and had the confidence of his countrymen to a marked degree. He accumulated a large farm property in that town, but wishing more land for his children, as they should attain manhood and womanhood, he removed to Nor- man county, in this state, some years ago, where he shortly after- ward died.
Bergoff Oleson settled that fall on section 32, in the same town,
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
where he resided until the time of his death. He was born in Norway, February 28, 1828, and came to America in May, 1851. He first settled in Dodge county, Wisconsin, where he married Julia Anderson, September 16, 1855. Mrs. Oleson was born in Norway March 14, 1837. They at once came to this country, thus showing what sensible young people they were. They have been the parents of twelve children, four of whom died in in- fancy.
Early the same fall, Hugh and Robert MeDougall, two brothers from Canada, natives of Scotland, settled on section 6, Otisco. Hugh, after remaining two years, secured his land and returned to Canada, where he still resides at this writing. Robert after- wards married and settled on his land, where he lived until his death, which occurred January 15, 1887. (For particulars of his life, see Biographical. Sketches.)
G. Goetzenberger and family settled on section 21, Otisco, in November of 1855, where they remained until their removal to Waseca. Here Mr. Goetzenberger died some years ago. His son Edward now resides in Minneapolis.
Bernard Bundschu and family, now living on the Pacific coast, settled on section 8, Otisco, late in the fall. Mr. Bundschu died in the early part of 1894 in Oregon.
CHAPTER X, 1855.
EARLY SETTLEMENTS IN IOSCO-GREAT HARDSHIPS OF THE FIRST WINTER-PRAIRIE FIRES AND DEEP SNOW.
I am under obligations to M. S. Green, Esq., deceased, for the following :
The first permanent settlement in the town of Iosco was made in July. 1855, by Luke B. Osgood, accompanied by John H. Wheel- er, Daniel MeDaniels, and Buel Welsh. Mr. Osgood made his claim on section 20, and immediately commenced thereon the erection of a cabin, fourteen by sixteen feet in size, all hands participating in rolling up the logs and putting on a roof of shakes. His family moved into it, although at the time it had neither floor, door, nor window. It was late in the fall before these were added to the abode. Before the building of the cabin the family had camped out for three months and were glad to get even this humble protection from the weather.
Mrs. Osgood narrowly escaped death in a prairie fire, as else- where detailed in this volume, in the fall of 1855.
The residents at this time of this locality, known as the Plum Valley settlement, lost nearly one-half of their cattle within the winter, owing to the poor quality of their hay. Many of the settlers did not arrive in time to make their hay before the first frosts.
Mr. John Wheeler was also one of the first settlers and became a permanent citizen of Iosco where he lived on his farm until 1886, when he removed to Nebraska. He sold out to Julius Mit- telstaedt. Buel Welsh went to Faribault where he remained until 1857, working as a carpenter. After this he located in the vil-
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
lage of Wilton, where he remained until the ancient "burg" became farm lands. He then removed to Alma City, where he spent the remainder of his days. Mr. Osgood and family, after living on their farm some twelve years, sold out to the Messrs. Timlin, and moved back East, where Mr. Osgood died about 1883.
Mr. McDaniels, after a few years spent here, removed to Mis- souri, and there he was living at last accounts. Jake Conrad dis- appeared from the settlement in 1858, and his whereabouts have since been unknown to persons of this section.
David Wood settled on section 2, Iosco, the same season, where he resided until his death in May, 1898. He was born in Scotland in 1820, and came to America in 1848. He landed at Quebec and spent the summer as a steamboat employe on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence river. He then made a trip to New Orleans, but soon returning North, engaged in railroading, first on the Cleveland & Pittsburg, and second on the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago. He spent several years as sub-contractor and section foreman. Later he came to Minnesota and located as above stated. He was married in 1853 to Miss Susan Somerville, formerly of Virginia. They are, it is said, the parents of the first white child born in the township. David W., the child was named, and he still lives at the old home.
J. W. Hosmer, Aaron Hanes and Joseph Madrew also came to Iosco in 1855. Mr. Hosmer moved to Janesville the next year and was prominently connected with the village until his death, as will fully appear later in these pages. Joseph Madrew did not remain long. He sold out and returned to Wisconsin.
Mr. Hanes settled near Mr. Osgood's place, where he lived until 1859, when he died, leaving a wife and four children, one daughter being married. His son James (Jim) served his country during the War of the Rebellion. After the war he took up his residence in Waterville, Le Sueur county, where he died July 18, 1904. The other son, John, died when a young man, and the younger girl died about 1884.
CHRISTIAN REMUND.
CHAPTER XI, 1855.
DEATH OF HENRY HOWELL-FIRST SETTLERS IN BLOOMING GROVE, JANESVILLE, AND BYRON.
Samuel F. Wyman, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Howell, and A. J. Bell took their claims in Blooming Grove early in the spring of. 1855. They were all then single men. They built a little log hut on Bell's claim, and commenced batching. At the end of about two years Messrs. Wyman and Bell tired of that kind of single blessedness and quit, leaving Johnson and Howell to go it alone. These two bachelors lived together as such about seven years more, when Mr. Johnson married and became a permanent resident. Mr. Howell remained single to the time of his death, which occurred in 1880. Bell afterwards became a resident of Faribault, and Mr. Wyman, who will be noticed more fully in biographical sketches, became a resident of Waseca.
The same season, in the month of June, Christian Remund, with his family, made his claim on sections 8 and 9, where he has since made his home. He was born in Switzerland November 21st, 1830, came to America in March, 1850, lived five years in Illinois, and there married, October 21st, 1851, Anna Bumgerdner, who was also a native of Switzerland. They arrived at their Minne- sota home June 28, 1855, and lived in their covered wagon until October of that fall. (See biographical sketch.)
Wm. M. Gray and family settled on section 33, in this town- ship, in June, 1855. Mr. Gray was born in Genesee county, New York in 1806. In 1836 he married Miss Lucina Fuller, who was also a native of the same state. They came to this place from
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
lowa and resided here the remainder of their lives. Mr. Gray died in 1872, and Mrs. Gray died a few years later. They were very estimable people and highly respected.
J. M. Blivens and family settled on section 32, in this town- ship, in the summer of 1855, where they lived for several years, when they removed to Missouri. The settlement in the early days bore Mr. Blivens' name.
Mr. Curtis Hatch, a blind man, with quite a family, settled in section 15. He sold his claim here after a short time and moved into the western part of the county. He afterwards moved to Dakota and died in Moody county in 1884. Mrs. H. P. Chamber- lain is his daughter and came with her parents to Blooming Grove.
Samuel and Luther Dickenson, of Vermont, settled in the town- ship this year. Luther returned to Vermont during the hard times of 1858, but Samuel remained until 1860, when he sold his farm and removed to Le Sueur county.
M. P. Ide, son of Col. J. C. Ide, with his young wife, was among the 1855 settlers of Blooming Grove, on section 14 or 15. He afterwards moved to Wilton, enlisted in Company F, Fifth Min- nesota regiment, infantry, served during the war, and afterwards lived near Morristown.
Simeon Smith was another of the 1855 settlers. He located on sections 31 and 32, in the month of June. He was an honest, industrious, well-to-do man, who lived to see the wilderness, which he found here, blossom as the rose. He died November 6, 1872, aged 78 years, honored and remembered by numerous friends and acquaintances.
Alfred C. Smith, son of Simeon, with his young wife, arcom- panied his father, and made a claim on section 5, of Woodville, where he lived until his father's death, when he took charge of his father's estate. It might be well to remark in passing, that Mr. A. C. Smith has the honor of being the father of the first white girl born in the county. Her name is Lovica. She was born October 15, 1855, and is now Mrs. II. N. Carlton. Ole Knut- son, now of Renville county, also settled in Blooming Grove in 1855.
The first death among the old settlers of the township was that of Henry Howell, a native of England. He was returning from Faribault with his brother Jonathan, and, when about half a mile
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
east of Morristown, got out of the sleigh to walk and thus warm himself. Ilis brother, unbeknown to him, stopped in Morristown, and he continued towards home on foot. Jonathan, after waiting awhile, supposing Henry had proceeded homeward, drove home, only to find that he had not arrived. The next day, after eonsid- erable search, his body was found near the Bassett farm, a mile south of Morristown, with life extinet. He no doubt became bewildered on the prairie, and, being rather thinly clad and the night a cold one, soon froze to death. He left surviving him three daughters.
TOWNSHIP OF JANESVILLE.
The records of this township for the first ten years of its ex- istence are missing; and the best that can be done is to give what can be picked up here and there from other sources. It is among the early traditions that the first white settlers in Janes- ville were a man named John Douglas and another named Hughes. They did not become permanent settlers, but removed, shortly afterwards, further west. The next settlers were two dissolute characters, Alfred Holstein and John Davis. Davis claimed a portion of section 28, and Holstein a portion of seetion 27. Their principal business was trading with the Indians, and, by common reputation, they dealt mostly in whisky and tobaeco-Davis, es- pecially, being a great drinker himself. Both of them were social, friendly, and kind hearted to all eomers, but their ideas of moral- ity and decency were not of high grade. Davis finally went to one of the Carolinas. Holstein was sent to state prison by a United States court for stealing horses from the Winnebago Indians. A man named John Rowley settled on seetion 9, the same summer and became a long-time resident.
James, Thomas, John and Jerry Hogan, four brothers, came from the state of Kentucky in 1855, and settled in the timber on the west side of Lake Elysian. These were among the hardy pioneers that came here to make homes for themselves and their children, and they beeamne permanent settlers.
Mr. Patriek Moonan made a settlement in this township the same year. Mr. Moonan was born in County Louth, Ireland, March 17, 1825; came to America in 1844, and settled in Janes- ville. Mrs. Moonan's maiden name was Mary A. Delaney and they were married in 1853. Mr. Moonan was in business at Janes-
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
ville for several years. He came to Waseca in 1882, and built the Sheridan House, now called the Waverly hotel, where he car- ried on the business until 1887, when he sold out and removed to Minneapolis with his family. He afterwards returned to Waseea, where he died November 22d, 1899. John Moonan, Esq., the well-known attorney of Waseca, is his son.
John McCue, who became a wealthy farmer of the county, and his brothers, James and Patriek, also came that summer. James remained a bachelor and died in 1885, on the McCue estate. Patriek removed to Parker's Prairie, in this state, while Mr. John McCue removed to Missouri, where he became more wealthy than he was here. He finally went to California, where he died about 1893.
George Morrill, now a resident of Alton, settled in Janesville, in 1855. Mr. Morrill is a modest, quiet farmer, and has a good home.
John Cunningham was one of those first-class men who settled in Janesville in 1855. He made his claim on section 29, where he resided until his death, August 30, 1870. He was one of the first to respond to the eall for men to fight the Indians in 1862, and enlisted October 4th, with ten other men from this county, in Company B, First Minnesota Mounted Rangers, and served until the elose of the Indian war. He married Mrs. Mary Craw- ford, widow of W. H. Crawford, one of the early settlers of this county. At the breaking out of the war Mr. Crawford was murdered by Texas rebels for the awful crime of being a northern republiean.
TOWNSHIP OF BYRON.
Jeremy Davis and family were among the 1855 settlers and made the first claim in the town of Byron, settling on the north- west quarter of section 34, where they lived until the death of Mr. Davis, which occurred September 13, 1863.
Daniel C. Davis, son of Jeremy, came with his father in 1853. Having just reached his majority, he also took a claim and became a permanent resident of the township. IIe took a homestead on scetions 28 and 33 after the homestead law took effeet. He was married July 18, 1861, to Miss Frances Parvin, daughter of Mr. B. Parvin, who settled in the county in 1860.
(I have thus given the names, as far as I have been able to
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
remember, or learn, of all those who settled in the county prior to the year 1856. That I have forgotten some names and inci- dents in fifty years is altogether possible and quite probable.
There were, however, some experiences peculiar to that first year's settlement which will never be forgotten by those who passed the winter of 1855-6 in this county.
In writing this history, I shall endeavor to present the facts, as nearly as possible, in the order of their occurrence; and I know nothing that can be more interesting to future generations of our children, or to the living, than a truthful record of the real dangers and hardships then encountered by the men and women that have made it possible for the present thousands of people in the county to live in the midst of plenty, and with all the advantages of advanced civilization about them.
In my next chapter I shall give some sketches of life in Waseca county during the fall of 1855 and the winter of 1855-6 .- The Author.)
CHAPTER XII, 1855.
THE FIRST ELECTION-FIRST CANDIDATES IN COUNTY-LIST OF VOTERS.
THE FIRST ELECTION.
The general election in those days was held on the second Tues- day in October, I think; at any rate the election that year fell on the 9th of October. There were two voting preeinets. The northern half of the county was called "Swavesey," and the southern half "Le Sueur River." There were two polling places -one at the house of J. M. Bliven in Blooming Grove, the other at the farm of Chris Scott, now owned by Mr. Carmody, in Wilton.
I was not present at the "Swavesey" precinct, but was present at the "Le Sueur" precinct election. When the voters came to- gether at Scott's house, there was no ballot box, and one had to be improvised. Finally Mrs. Scott loaned them a cake box. A hole was cut in the cover so as to admit the ballots, and the elec- tion proceeded. The local candidates were as follows :
County commissioners-Samuel B. Smith, Wm. Allen and Melmer P. Ide.
Register of deeds-Charles Ellison.
Sheriff-Wm. F. Pettit.
Treasurer-David Sanborn.
Surveyor-John W. Park.
Clerk of court-F. Wilbur Fisk.
District attorney-J. M. Bliven.
Judge of probate-Frank B. Davis.
Assessors-David Lindesmith, Charles Thompson and Luke B. Osgood. Justices of the peace-John Jenkins, of what is now Wilton, and Simeon Smith, of what is now BloomIng Grove.
Of the county officers, Mr. Ide and Mr. Bliven resided in Blooming
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
Grove. All the other officers were residents of what is now Steele county, except Mr. Osgood, who lived in what is now Iosco.
It is proper to say here that what is now Waseca county was then a part of Steele county.
The names of those who voted in the Le Sueur precinct, as I remember them, were as follows:
Barney Gregory, Joseph Bird, Abraham Bird, John White, Martin Krassin, Fred Krassin, Gottlieb Krassin, Sr., Fred Prechel, Gottlieb Prechel, Fred Wobschall, David J. Jenkins, John Jenkins, John G. Greening, Andrew Scott, C. D. Scott, Chris. Scott, James E. Child, Wm. Robbins, George Robbins and H. F. Bierman .- twenty voters in all.
The names of those who resided in the "Swavesey" precinct, as near as I can make out from the records, were as follows:
A. C. Smith, L. B. Osgood, Daniel McDaniels, John H. Wheeler, David Wood, Aaron Hanes, J. W. Hosmer, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Howell, A. J. Bell, S. F. Wyman, Chris. Remund, W. M. Gray, J. M. Bliven, Ole Knutson, Curtis Hatch. M. P. Ide, Simeon Smith, James, John, Thomas and Jerry Hogan, James and Patrick McCue, Patrick Moonan, George Morrill, John Cunning- ham and John Rowley.
It is not known to the writer how many of these voted, but there was a "right smart" vote considering the number of people.
The ticket was really non-partisan-Messrs. Pettit and Ellison being non-committal democrats-and all the others abolitionists or republicans. Among the voters in the Le Sueur precinct, there were only two democrats, Andrew and C. D. Scott.
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