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 54
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This is the northwest corner township of the county, and boasts of the largest lake in the county-one which abounds in pickerel, bass and eroppies. It is a very fine body of water in the midst of a fertile country. Elsewhere in this work is given a record of the first settlement which occurred in 1855. John Douglas and a man named Hughes were the first settlers, and John Davis and Alfred Holstein, Indian traders, came next.
The early records of this township were lost years ago-forever lost no doubt.
The board of county commissioners, April 5, 1858, set off and organized the township under the name of Okaman, with two polling places. The one at Okaman had, for judges of election, Alex. Johnston, C. II. Bishop, and W. N. Buckhout, and the election was to be held at the house
of A. Tuttle. The other polling place was at the house of Caesar De Regan, with R. Brown, John Cunning- ham, and De Regan as judges. On the 17th of the next May, upon petition filed, the name of the township was changed to Janesville. Under the township organization, adopted by the first state legislature, N. E. Strong was the first chairman of the board of supervisors, and served as a member of the board of county supervisors during the year. The next year he was fol- lowed by J. W. La Paul. Mr. La Paul, within the year, moved
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to St. Mary, and was succeeded by W. W. Cowles. Both La Paul and Cowles were noted for their talking propensities.
The only town records to be found commenee with the year 1868. The town meeting of that year was held at the house of Amos Roberts, in Okaman village, on the 7th of April. Mr. Hiram Christman was chosen moderator; the town clerk and town treasurer each made a report, and both reports were adopted. From all that appears upon the record book, these reports might have been verbal. As to their contents, the record book is alto- gether silent. The town then had ten road districts and the fol- lowing gentlemen were chosen overseers of highways: R. C. Wilkins, A. J. Patchen, Richard Cahill, Thomas McHugo, John Cahill, J. R. Wright, Henry Lane, Hiram Fish, William Popham, Nelson Thwing. The meeting voted a tax of $315 for town ex- penses, the sum of $400 for the payment of outstanding soldier bounties, and one per cent. upon all taxable property for road ex- penses. The supervisors elected were Silas Waterbury (chair- man), William Patchin, and Hiram Fish; W. N. Buckhout, town clerk; J. H. Ricker, treasurer; A. N. Roberts, assessor; C. P. Pratt and Hiram Christman, justices of the peace; C. Hover and C. Peaslee, constables. That year there was paid from the road fund $83.91, and for ordinary expenses $104.60.
Caesar De Regan made a claim in 1856 and had surveyed and platted the old village of Janesville. The town site subsequently fell into the hands of J. W. Hosmer and others, but when the present Janesville was platted the old site was gradually aban- doned.
The village of Okaman at the head of Lake Elysian was plat- ted in May, 1857. The proprietors were W. P. Mathes, B. S. Hall, S. M. Cooley, F. E. Roberts, and G. H. Bishop. Here was situated the famous Buekhout flouring mills, which furnished flour to the early settlers as far south as the Iowa state line for years. Okaman was one of the prettiest little villages in the state of Minnesota from 1857 to 1864, and was inhabited by an or- derly, intelligent, and cultured people who had great hopes that it would grow into a city. Alas, for human hopes and expecta- tions! Okaman now exists only in name.
The reader is referred to "biographical sketches" for particu- lars regarding early settlers in this township.
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
VILLAGE OF JANESVILLE.
Janesville, or "East Janesville," as it was platted, is one of the substantial and permanent towns of Southern Minnesota. It is in the midst of a beautiful and rich farming country, inhabited by an industrious and frugal people, who earn and command pros- perity. It was platted in August, 1869, by Surveyor S. H. Mott for J. W. Sprague, general manager of the W. & St. P. railroad at that time. Nine additions have been added since. Buildings were constructed as if by magic. James Cummins hauled the first load of lumber for the first building, Baldwin's hotel. J. O. Chandler, A. W. Jennison, F. II. Miner, D. J. Dodge & Co., J. D. Andrews, and others erected buildings that fall. Dr. Craig was the first physician, and John Bradish, Esq., the first attorney, as he was the first in Waseca county In the winter of 1869-70, several buildings from Old Janesville were moved to the new town, and in the spring of 1870 the new town was full of life and vigor. James Cummins, born March 5, 1840, in Kenosha coun- ty, Wis., came to Blue Earth county in 1857, lived in Old Janes- ville for a time, and soon took a hand in the business of the new town. Joseph Davison, born in the state of New York, in 1834, came to Byron township in 1862, enlisted in Company D, First Minnesota heavy artillery Oct. 20, 1864, served until Sept. 27, 1865, returned to Minnesota the same year, and in 1869 went to Janesville and helped to build the town as a contractor and builder. The Banner flouring mill, now owned by Jennison & Co., was built in 1873, by the firm of Stokes, Kimball & Co. The Diadem flouring mill was erected in 1877, by Harn, Snyder & Co. They became financially involved and the mill passed to Hillyer & Tillotson, then to J. S. Suteliffe, and finally, in 1886, it became the property of Jennison Bros. The W. & St. P. rail- road company erected a grain elevator in 1869, which soon after passed into other hands. Among the business houses, that of Byron & Barden is very popular.
The first school house was erected in 1871, at a cost of $2,800. Another school building was creeted in 1877, and a third in 1885. The latest is a brick building costing $7,000.
The Freewill Baptist society built the first church in 1870, at a cost of $3,000.
The Episcopalians next built in 1877, at a cost of $2,000. The
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Catholics erected their church building in 1876, and expended thereon about $6,000.
The Methodist Episcopal church was built in 1880. It is a brick structure, costing $4,000.
The Lutheran Evangelical church building was erected in 1885 at a cost of $2,500.
The town and village together, in 1878, put up a building 45x 100 feet, which is used as a town hall and for public meetings of all kinds. It cost about $5,000, and is a credit to the place.
A lodge of A. F. and A. M., No. 124, was organized under dis- pensation, Aug. 10, 1875. Its present charter was issued Feb. 11, 1877. The dispensation members were R. N. Sackett, Kel- sey Curtis, Darling Welch, and J. O. Chandler, the officers be- ing: R. O. Craig, W. M .; E. H. Gosper, S. W .; F. H. Miner, J. W .; R. M. Redfield, S. D .; J. W. Tefft, J. D. ; S. C. L. Moore, S. S .; C. H. Younglove, J. S .; R. Heritage, Tyler. The lodge does good work, and is in a prosperous condition.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.
CHAPTER LXXIX.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES-REMINISCENSES OF EARLY DAYS IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTY-MISCELLANEOUS MEN- TION OF PERSONAL MATTERS-THE CLOSE.
NEW RICHLAND, BY HON. ANTHONY SAMPSON.
Mr. Sampson was born in Norway, August 21, 1827; and Mrs. Samp- son was horn in the same country, October 12, 1825. They left their native land May 15, 1853, and settled in Rock county, Wisconsin, July 10, of that year, where they remained three years. Mr. Sampson finally concluded to remove to Minnesota. He went around among his neigh- bors and got up a company to go with him. The men's names are as fol- lows: H. H. Sunde, K. O. Rotegard, H. T. Hangrud, O. K. Hagen, W. Anderson, Kresten Knudson, and E. O. Strenge. They were all from Norway originally, but had settled in Rock county, Wisconsin. They started from the latter place on the 3d day of May, 1856, and after encoun- tering and overcoming the various obstacles and hindrances incident to an overland trip with ox teams and lumber wagons, reached New Rich- land on the 10th of June following.
Until the arrival of these people there was not a white settler in the township. There were some Winnebago Indians around almost every day, but they never did any harm. Mr. Sampson says:
"The whole company of us had only twelve yoke of oxen, thirty cows, fifty head of young cattle and about $600 in gold. The first thing we did was to rig out two breaking teams and break four acres of ground for each fam- ily. This we planted mostly to flint corn, but as soon as the corn came up the blackbirds and gophers took it all. It was hard times for us the first two years. Flour was high in price costing us $11 a barrel, and we had to go seventy -- five miles to get it. But we got along any way. We had plenty of milk and made hutter and cheese; and we could catch all the fish we needed in the lake and the river at that time.
"The company never had any trouble among its members. When- ever there happened any differences three or four of us got together
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
and settled it all right, and without any cost; and there is not one of those old settlers has ever had a costly law suit yet.
The first white child born in the township was a daughter of O. K. Hagen in July, 1856. The first death was that of Sam A. Samson, August 22, 1861.
Each of the eight families bought 160 acres of land for which they paid the government $1.25 per acre.
The first school district in the town was organized in 1860. John Larsen was elected clerk; Anthony Sampson, director; and T. Tidman- son, treasurer. The first school house was erected on a half acre lot given by Mr. Sampson from a portion of his farm in 1862.
The first church (Lutheran) was organized in 1861. H. Halvorsen, Anthony Sampson and H. Taraldson were elected trustees of the so- ciety; and the first church building was erected hy this society in 1862. It was a log building, 20x26 feet, and 14 feet in height. We got a minister from Goodhue county who held services once every two months. There were at that time about twenty families belonging to the society, but now it contains one hundred and thirty families. In 1872, we sent a call to Norway for a minister, and obtained Rev. O. A. Mellby. He is our minister yet, and is an honest, able worker in this society. 'The society bought eighty acres of land and put up buildings for him and his family that cost about $1,800.
We now have two good churches that cost about $8,000. There is a good Congregational church in the village, and there are seven good schoolhouses in the township."
Mr. Sampson, besides holding numerous town offices, represented ALS county in the house of representatives in the session of 1877. He was one of our most substantial citizens who, in a modest way. did his part toward developing the country and changing it from a wilderness to one of the most productive regions in the West. He died May 16, 1899, at his home, honored and respected by all.
CAPTAIN EARL OF FREEDOM.
This gentleman was born August 10, 1832, in Jamestown, Crawford county, Pennsylvania. His mother died while he was quite young, and in 1838 he went to live in the family of Mr. Samuel Fitch, who resided three miles east of Youngstown, Ohio. He was a very worthy man and instilled into the mind of young Earl, both by precept and example, the principles of honesty and uprightness of character. Captain Earl lived with this family eleven years.
In the spring of 1850, he started West, coming as far as Rock Island, Illinois. In February 1851, he went north into Jefferson county, Wis- consin, where he worked until November 25, 1855. He then married Miss Mary O. Hubbard, of Hebron, in that county. She was born in Troy, N. Y., and came West with her parents when she was four years of age.
In September, 1856, they moved to Richland county, Wisconsin, where
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
they resided unul July 4, 1859, when they started for Minnesota with two yoke of oxen, one wagon, a cow and a calf. They arrived at their Lew home in the town of Yucatan, Houston county, on the 11th of July. When they had reached their destination they had ahout $20 in gold left, and were owing $250 on the one hundred and twenty acres they had bought.
Captain Earl says there had been considerable railroad excitement, and the Southern Minnesota had been graded as far as Houston; but the hubble had burst, and the hands were going out when he was mov- ing in. He found a vacant shanty a mile from his land, and took pos- session of it. He immediately went to work cutting and hewing oak logs for a house, 16x20 feet, which he covered with oak shingles. His nearest neighbor was three miles away, and help to raise the house had to come from three to four miles. He worked out through harvest at $1.50 per day, and did not get his house raised until September, but completed it in November and moved into it. For a year and a half he had to work out for enough to support his family. His land was what is known as grub and openings. He grubbed and broke and fenced and thus opened his farm to cultivation.
In March, 1865, he sold his farm for $1,200 and in April following, in company with J. L. Graham and Arthur Graham, started for Redwood Falls. He furnished the team and they the provisions, and they camped out. Nine miles west of Wilton they came across Darling Welch, who was living upon the Winnebago reservation. He described the beauties of the land and the natural advantages of the situation in his enchant- ing style, but they had made up their minds to visit Redwood Falls, which they did, spending two weeks looking over that section of coun- try. They found timber rather scarce and the land not yet in market. They were pleased with Waseca county, and returned to Mr. Welch's place. J. L. Graham and Earl each bought'160 acres of land. Captain Earl's farm cost him $960.
The improvements consisted of six acres broken and in crop, forty acres fenced with a two-rail fence, and a log house 12x18 feet. After going back to Houston county, he returned in June and broke up twenty acres-keeping "bach" during the time. He then went to Fillmore county and worked through harvest with his team.
On the 1st of September he started from Houston county with his fam- ily and arrived at the new home on the 7th. He had one span of good mules-which he sold that fall for $400-three good cows and six young cattle. Mrs. Earl drove the team on the road while he drove the cattle. He had his hay to cut and stack after his arrival. He hired a man and mower one and a half days, and the rest he cut with a scythe.
In speaking of that fall he says: "The weather, till late in the fall, was very fine, but the first snow storm was a terrible one. It was my first experience with a blizzard, and it came in all its glory. That was the night Billy Adams, the stage driver, was so badly frozen. It was about
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
two miles west of my place where he brought up at a vacant shanty and stayed that fearful night. It was one never to be forgotten by the early settlers of Freedom. "The next summer," says he, "was very wet, and it was almost impossible to get around. It cost one dollar per hun- dred to get flour from Mankato to our settlement, a distance of twenty miles. We had very good crops, however, that season, and in the fall we were as happy as could have been expected. We had a splendid neighborhood, very little sickness, and no reason to complain of our prosperity."
The first office held by him was that of assessor in the town of Forest, Richland county, Wisconsin, in 1859. In Houston county, he was elected chairman of the board of supervisors in 1861 and re-elected in '62, '63 and '64. In that time he paid out over $8,000 for volunteers, and kept the town clear from draft. He served as chairman of the board in Freedom in 1866, and was the first commissioner elected from the fifth district in Waseca county. He was assessor in Freedom for the years '73-4 and '75 and in the fall of 1875 was elected one of the representatives from this county to the legislature of 1876.
After having faithfully served his generation and his country he joined the great majority on the other side.
MR. EDWIN E. VERPLANK, NEW RICHLAND.
Mr. Edwin E. Verplank was born in 1834, two and a half miles from Auburn, N. Y. His wife, Anna Sophia, was born near Konigsberg, Nor- way, and is forty-two years of age. Mr. Verplank came to Minnesota by way of lowa, in a "prairie schooner," and settled at Faribault, in Novem- ber, 1855. Settlements were then few and far between, but the country was delightful and fruitful. Larger vegetables grew here that year than were ever seen before or heard of since. The weather was delightful that fall-Indian summer extending into December. Mr. Verplank writes:
"A young man named Tyler and myself went to Wilton in the spring of 1857, and took claims a little southwest of that village. We bought lumber, and with saw, hammer and hatchet we made music, while the gophers stood around on their hind feet whistling a chorus of welcome until we completed our structure."
"Well, If we were not as virtuous as the virgins of the Bible, we were at least as foolish, for we had neither oil, lamps nor provisions, and none were to be obtained. We concluded that for two young, unmarried men, with well developed appetites and no visible means of supply, the prospects of growing up with the country were not very flattering. We finally abandoned our claims and returned to Faribault where we could get plenty of work and enough to eat. I remained in Faribault until 1861, when I enlisted in Co. G, First Minnesota volunteers."
After his term of service Mr. Verplank purchased eighty acres of land where he now resides.
1
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
OLE H. SUNDE.
Ole H. Sunde and others of New Richland, had some rough experience in the early days. They had to go to Iowa for food and supplies, taking the round-a-bout way over which they came from Wisconsin. They started on bare ground in the fall, the weather being fine, but were caught in a snow storm while out, and were detained three weeks while their families had only a small quantity of corn meal, ground cob and all, which they sifted and ate with milk. The anxiety of each of the separated parties as to the fate aud welfare of the others was intense. None but those who have been placed in similar circumstances can real- ize the feelings of hushand, wife or relatives thus separated.
W. H. H. JACKSON.
Mr. W. H. H. Jackson, of Blooming Grove, being interviewed, said: "I call to mind most of the early settlers. Michael Johnson, who still lives on the claim he pre-empted, Mr. Hatch, father of Mrs. H. P. Chamberlain of Iosco, who moved away years ago; the Messrs. Remund, most of whom are still with us; Mr. Gray and family, J. M. Blivens, Mr. Simeon Smith and his son, A. C .; Jonathan Howell, deceased, and I pre- sume others settled in 1855. Among those who came in 1856, were E. R. Connor, now of Dakota, George Dean, John Walker, James Walker, Boss Sharp, Wm. Donaldson, Patrick Healy, the lamented Capt. Lewis McKune who was killed in the battle of Bull Run, Hon. J. L. Saufferer, James Hand, Hon. J. N. Powers and his father; Hon. Philo Woodruff, John Gibson and Mr. Winthrow.
"Thomas Jackson, his three sons, and one daughter came there in May, 1858, from Indiana. He bought a farm of Mr. Walker, which he afterward sold, and then moved to Morristown where he died years ago.
"Caleb B. Jackson enlisted in Captain McKune's company of the First Minnesota regiment, served three years, and then enlisted as a veteran in the Second Minnesota cavalry, serving until the close of the war.
"Thos. B. Jackson enlisted and served three years in the Fourth Min- nesota, then re-enlisted as a veteran, was wounded in the battle of Al- toona, and died from the effect of his injuries soon after.
"W. H. H. Jackson enlisted in the Third Minnesota and served two years and four months. He was born in Indiana, 1840, and came to Blooming Grove with his father in 1858. The same year, in the fall, he married Miss Mary Eckert, daughter of Peter Eckert, who came to the same township in 1857. Mr. Eckert sold his farm and went to Illinois in 1870, returning to Minnesota in 1877. He died some years ago.
"It is claimed that George Connor was the first white child born in the township.
"The first schoolhouse was built in 1856. The Baptists organized a church society in 1856, and held services in the schoolhouse."
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
JAMES CUMMINS.
Mr. James Cummins, of Janesville, first inhabited the earth at a place known as the town of Bristol, Kenosha county, Wisconsin, his birthday being March 5, 1840. His wife's name was Hester J. Coddington; she was born in Livingston county, New York, on the 18th of February, 1841.
"Jim," as he is familiarly called, moved to LeRay, Blue Earth county, in 1857, and to "Old Janesville" in 1862. At this time, he avers, he had neither lands, houses nor cattle. He writes:
"The first fall after our arrival, having put up our hay, my father, John Cummins, sent me, with Charles and Ed. Bennett, to New Auburn, Iowa, for flour. We went with three wagons and six yoke of oxen, and brought back 7,500 pounds of flour, so we did not go hungry that winter. Our family of eleven had 2,500 pounds, while the Bennetts had fifty work hands and nearly "all Lord's Creation" to eat from their two loads. Ed. Bennett's father was putting in a mill dam at Tivoli, that winter.
"The next season, 1858, my father had a joh of breaking one hundred acres of prairie for the Winnebago Indians. Two brothers and myself took turn-about, each going there for a week. We had four yoke of oxen and a self-holding breaking plow. The breaking was done in patches, not over three acres in a place, and we were all the time moving about and camping in different places.
"By the way C. A. DeGraff, while excavating for his cellar, dug up the ashes and coals where I camped about four weeks-so you see I was there first. During the summer I camped a portion of the time with John Barden, of Wilton, a brother of Thomas Barden .. John Barden also had a contract for breaking one hundred acres for the Winnebagoes. He was a gentleman in every respect and I heard of his death in the war with much sorrow. By the way, I saw a man two years ago by the name of James Dobson, who was in John's company and stood by his side when he was shot. Dobson gave John the same good name he en- joyed while here.
"I am or the opinion that Sam Crump was a little rattled, at the old settlers' meeting at Seaman's, when he blushingly accused me of camp- Ing with an Indian all summer.
"In the fall we started to build a log schoolhouse. The body was raised and bark peeled and packed for the roof, but that was as far as we ever got. The bark was afterwards used to cover a shop, and the logs rotted down.
"That winter my parents hired Miss Hattie Northrup, then of Wilton, now of Morristown, to teach their nine children at home. We had a good school. Our house was built of logs 16x24 feet, and covered with bark.
"During the winter I took a job of cutting five cords of white ash wood. I didn't then know enough about the business to know which way to run when the tree commenced to fall. In fact the trees wouldn't fall if they could
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CHILD'S HISTORY OF WASECA COUNTY.
help it. I chopped all around the tree until it would commence to fall; and then it would be sure to lodge. I worked very hard, broke three axes and gave up the job after cutting three and a half cords.
"The next spring my brother Horace and I took a
clearing a road. We were very thirsty, at least I was. I
job of tapped a maple, aud he a butternut tree. My tree didn't seem to furnish much sap; at any rate I kept the trough dry. Horace said his tree had plenty of sap and that it was sweeter than maple. I tried it and found he was about right; and so kept the trough empty till night. During the night I was taken with a fever- had three relapses, each time heing worse than the first-and when I finally got around the sum- mer was gone; and I felt all " gone" too.
"I worked here and there and finally commenced work at "Old Janes- ville," Jan. 1, 1862. In June of the same year I was married and have been in sight ever since.
"The first religious services held in our neighborhood, in Blue Earth county, were at the house of my uncle, Moses Bennett, father of Ed. Bennett, of Waseca, in 1857. In "Old Janesville," religious services were held in private houses until the schoolhouse was built. The first church organized in "East Janesville," the present Janesville, was the Free Baptist.
"The first child born, that I remember about, was a daughter of J. W. LaPaul. The deaths were a child in the family of James Savage and two daughters of David Jenkins.
"The first buildings in Janesville, as I remember, were the houses of P. Ratchford and Mary Corcoran.
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