USA > Minnesota > Polk County > Compendium of history and biography of Polk County, Minnesota > Part 71
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beth, who married Michael Quirk. Pat Lealas was married in Canada to Bridget Power, who is a native of Waterford, Ireland, and to this union were born eight children, six of whom are now living, John, on the home farm; Joe and James who are located at Bermidji; Mary Ann, the wife of James O'Grady; Maggie, who married Henry Sehustmer, and Aliee, the wife of Tim MeManus, all of whom are residents of Bermidji. Two sons, Patrick Lealas and Edward Lealas, are dead. After almost a half century in Polk eounty Mr. Lealas is enjoying the latter years of a busy life, keenly interested in and allied with the affairs of the day through his many friendships with men of achievement and accorded the full regard dne the sturdy American citizen.
KORNELIUS II. VALOR.
During all of the last thirty-seven years Kornelius relieving his father of all necessity for laborious work Il. Valor has lived on and cultivated his fine farm in or business eares in connection with them.
Section 26, Tynsid township, this county. He came here in 1877 and took the pre-emption on 120 acres and proved up one forty of this in 1879 and then bought 80 aeres of a homesteader, which made 160 acres as a homestead. He now has 200 acres, and the farm is pleasantly located nine miles northwest of Climax, twenty miles south of Grand Forks and eighteen miles southwest of Crookston. In 1914 he built on it a very convenient and comfortable twelve- room dwelling house, but the barn and other outbuild- ings were erected some years previous to that time.
The farm was originally prairie land, and there was nothing but a little log cabin standing on it and but few aeres were broken when he bought it. Nearly all of it is now yielding annual crops of magnitude and good quality, wheat, barley and oats being the staple prodnetions, but dairy prodnets from seven to ten milch eows also forming a substantial factor in the business. Mr. Valor has eondueted the farming and cattle operations himself from the beginning until recently, when his son Rudolph took charge of them,
Mr. Valor is a stockholder in the co-operative eream- ery at Eldred, seven miles from his home, and he sup- plies it with eream. His grain crop in 1915 was 2,600 bushels of wheat, 1,450 of oats and 300 of barley. He was born in Norway August 4, 1850, and became a resident of Ottertail county, Minnesota, in 1876. He was reared and married in his native land and there also he learned the earpenter trade. This, with his wife and two children, constituted his whole earthly estate when he came to this country, and he was in debt for a part of his passage money to his new home. A few months after his arrival in Minnesota with his family he moved to Polk county and located on his present farm. He hired a man to break up four aeres of it and worked at his trade while waiting for his erops to become sufficient to provide for his household.
In the affairs of his township Mr. Valor has always taken a good eitizen's active and helpful part. He served several terms as supervisor at different times and for years as a member of the school board. His politieal affiliation was first with the Republican party
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
and afterward with the Populist party while it flour- ished, but for some years he has voted with the Demo- crats at all general elections. In religious connection he is a member of the Free Lutheran church.
Mr. Valor was married in Norway to Miss Mary Peterson. She died in 1902. They were the parents of twelve children, only one of whom, Rudolphi, is liv- ing. Two died in infancy of diphtheria and the others in early life of consumption. Rudolph, who is now
cultivating the farm, married Miss Augusta Berland of Bygland township. They have two children, Alfon and Marion. Rudolph was born on the farm Feb- ruary 8, 1891, and after he grew to manhood spent some time in the state of Washington. He has had charge of the home place two years. Mr. Valor also owns 140 acres in the town of Roome and altogether that makes 340 acres.
SIMON BOISVERT.
Simon Boisvert, of East Grand Forks, a retired farmer of Huntsville township, was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, March 31, 1852. Ile was reared in Canada, near Montreal, and came to Minnesota in 1882. For a number of years he lived in Grand Forks and worked as a carpenter in the employ of the Great Northern railroad, engaged in the constructions of the company's various buildings along its route, working as far westward as San Coule, Montana. Since 1889 he has devoted his attention to farming, enjoying prosperous success in his various agricultural enter- prises. His interests are divided between an eight acre tract within the city limits of East Grand Forks, and his farm of one hundred and seven acres, a mile and a half distant, on the south side of the Red Lake river. Of late years he has made his home on his property in East Grand Forks, while his son, Ed Bois- vert, resides on the larger farm, which they operate in partnership. Mr. Boisvert is a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic church and a citizen of worth and
esteem in the community in which he lives. In polit- ical affairs his allegianee is given to the Republican party. As a young man he was an ardent sportsman, and derived great pleasure and skill from this recrea- tion, but later the many duties and responsibilities of the farm left meager time for sports. Mr. Boisvert is perhaps more widely known as Greenwood, the Eng- lish translation of his French surname, which is gen- erally used by his children, but prefers the original rendering of the family name. He was married in Canada to Mary Jeffrey, a native of that country, and sixteen years of age at the time of her marriage. They have seven children, Josephine, the wife of John Mero; Joseph, a farmer, who was married to Vina Pelkeg; John, who married Rose Robert, and is farm- ing in Huntsville township; Ida the wife of R. E. Fullerton, of East Grand Forks; Lillie, the wife of Willia Bach, of Reinhart township; Ed, who lives on his father's farm, and was married to Mabel Schow, and Willie.
JOHN O. EGGEN.
The late John O. Eggen, who was for years one of the leading farmers and substantial citizens of North- land township, with a good and well improved farm in Section 30, seven miles and a half north of East Grand Forks, was a man of force of character and great positiveness, and, as he was generally properly interested in projects for the development and im- provement of his locality, he was an influence for good
that everybody respected and a very useful factor in the promotion of his township's progress. He was born December 5, 1819, in the historic city of Trond- hjem, Norway, and came to the United States in 1857, locating in Wisconsin, where he was employed on a farm and in the lumber woods for a period of two years.
In 1859 Mr. Eggen changed his residence to Good-
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHIY OF POLK COUNTY
hue county, Minnesota, and there he took a pre-emp- tion claim and developed it into a good and pro- ductive farm, remaining on it for a continuous period of about twenty years. In 1878 he sold his farm and moved to Polk county, taking up as a homestead the farm in Northland township on which his widow and daughter now live. When he sold his farm in Good- Inte county he was tired of farming and expected to retire, but two years afterward he could not resist the temptation to return to his life-long voeation, and so obtained another farm. His operations had been successful in Goodhne county, and he had about $5,000 when he located in Polk county. On arriving here he rented a house, which was then the best to be found north of the Marias river.
Mr. Eggen, HI. H. Flatten and Carl Lindgren, who were all from the same place in Norway, teamed to this eounty together, Mr. Flatten being the cousin of Mr. Eggen's mother. Mr. Eggen took the Southeast quarter of Seetion 30 as a homestead and built on it a fairly good frame house which is still standing. He was older than his companions and gave them employ- ment, their first work for him being the erection of this house. The dwelling inhabited by the family now was built in 1889 not far from the first one, and the difference between them as they stand near together marks the progress of the owners between the two periods of their construction. In addition to his homestead the neweomer bought fifty aeres of land on
the Red river, three miles west of his farm, and during his life he cultivated that also.
While living in Goodhne county Mr. Eggen agreed to pay the passage of his nephew, Eriek Eggen, aeross the ocean if the boy's parents would allow him to come to his unele in the New World. The youth eame over, being about twelve years old then, and was edu- cated by his unele, with whom he remained about six years, accompanying him to this county and still liv- ing with him until he located on the farm he bought from the uncle. When they came to Polk county a neighbor, John Bergen, accompanied them and they drove one of Mr. Bergen's teams, and also settled on land near his.
In January, 1887, Mr. Eggen was married to Miss Oliana Mogaed, a native of Norway, who came to this county the year before her marriage and worked some months for Mr. Eggen. She was a great help to him in the transaction of his business, doing all his clerical work, and she is still carrying on the farm. They became the parents of one ehild, their daughter, Annie, who is now a young lady and living with her mother. They also reared from the age of seven Lydia Nelson, a relative of Mr. Eggen, who is also with Mrs. Eggen, and is now fourteen and whose mother died while the daughter was a child. Mrs. Eggen and her daughter belong to the Grand Marias Lutheran church in the eemetery attached to which the remains of Mr. Eggen were buried.
OLE A. MICKELSON.
Mr. Mickelson, who is a progressive and prosperous farmer and grain thresher, and has been a merehant, and in all places where he has lived a publie-spirited and enterprising eitizen, zealously interested in the welfare and improvement of his community, has re- sided in Polk county continuously sinee 1883, when he eame to the county with his parents, Mickel M. and Ingebor Martha (Olson) Mathison, natives of Nor- way. The son was born at Thronhjen, in that country, April 9, 1866, and remained there until 1873, when
the family emigrated to the United States and located in Jackson county, Minnesota, which was its home mitil the family residence was changed to Polk eoun- ty. The father died in the village of Winger in May, 1915, at the age of sixty-eight. He and his wife were the parents of ten children, of whom their son Ole was the first born.
Mr. Mickelson was reared to farm work and he has been engaged in it ever since he was large and strong enough to take a hand at it. For a period of about
W. S. ANGLIM
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
four years he was merchandising at Winger, and he now operates a threshing outfit in connection with his farming activities. He invented the Fosston wind cleaner for threshing machines, which was patented in this country in 1898, and is now in extensive use in many parts of the United States and also in Canada.
On December 16, 1905, Mr. Miekelsen was married to Miss Anna Olson, a daughter of Christ Olson, and
a native of Polk county. They have three children, Ida A., Alpha and Florence. In religious affiliation the parents are connected with Synod Lutheran church, and in official life Mr. Mickelsen is a member and chairman of the township school board. He takes great interest in his work on the board and it is highly appreciated by the people.
WILLIAM S. ANGLIM.
Among the early residents and business men of Crookston none stood higher in public esteem as a broad-minded and publie-spirited citizen and as a progressive and resourceful merchant of large business capacity than the late William Anglim, member of the firm of Fontaine & Anglim. These gentlemen for a number of years conducted the leading general mer- chandising establishment in the whole Red river re- gion, and so well did they understand and so com- pletely did they meet the requirements of the region that they laid almost every part of it under tribute to their trade.
William Anglim was born May 25, 1843, at Brock- ville, in the province of Ontario, Canada. He left home at an early age and worked for a few years in the state of New York. He then came west to Detroit, Michigan, and entered the service of the American Express company. After a short term of faithful and appreciated work in a minor capacity in the employ of this company he was promoted to the position of railroad expressman on the run between Tomah, Wis- consin, and St. Paul, Minnesota.
While thus engaged Mr. Anglim cherished a desire which was born in him early and gained vigor with his growth. This was to have a business of his own, and the desire at length became so strong that he eould resist it no longer. He heard of the promising possi- bilities of Northwestern Minnesota and determined to see what he could do in this locality. So in 1878 he changed his residenee from St. Paul to Crookston and, in company with Louis Fontaine, bought the stoek and
business of W. D. Bailey, a general merchant in the latter city, or at the frontier settlement in the woods as it was then. His association with Mr. Fontaine came through an advertisement for a business partner which Mr. Anglim inserted in the newspapers in St. Paul. Their business grew to vast proportions, and they also eondueted a branch store at Argyle, in Mar- shall county, this state, with conspicuous sueeess and a very large trade.
The partnership between Mr. Anglim and Mr. Fon- taine continued for more than a quarter of a century. They started their business in a little log house on the main road running through the village, which was then full of stumps of trees that had been cut down to make an opening for the march of improvement, and when they retired from business they turned over to their successors the finest, largest and most com- plete and comprehensive department store in North- ern Minnesota.
In addition to being one of the leading merchants of the Red river valley Mr. Anglim was also one of Crookston's foremost men in connection with public affairs. He was always a staunch Democrat in his political faith and alliance, but without regard to political considerations he was elected to every im- portant office in the gift of the people. He was chosen either alderman or mayor of the city whenever he would consent to serve, and was a member of the school board for nearly twenty years. His eonspieu- ous ability and sterling citizenship also received na- tional recognition, President Cleveland, in his second
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPITY OF POLK COUNTY
term, appointing him receiver of the United States land office at Crookston. He also took an active in- terest in other business institutions besides his own, serving as a director and the vice president of the First National Bank of Crookston from its organiza- tion until his death, for years as an official of several country banks and also for a time as an official of the Wheeler-Misner Loan company of Crookston.
In fraternal relations Mr. Anglim was connected with the Order of Elks, and he was one of the promi- nent members of its Lodge in Crookston, of which he was the Exalted Ruler for two terms; also a member of the Knights of Columbus. In religions faith he was a devout Catholic, holding his membership in St. Mary's church, which he served as treasurer for many years, and to whose welfare he was earnestly and zeal- ously devoted. Ile was a man of high ideals, striet integrity and a keen and imperative sense of honor. In his domestic relations he was genial and generously
considerate, devoted to his family and willing at all times to make any sacrifice of his personal convenience or desires to promote its happiness. When he retired from business he returned to St. Paul to live, and at St. Joseph's hospital in that eity his useful life ended on July 22, 1910, when he was a little over sixty-seven years of age.
Mr. Anglim was married in Tomah, Wiseonsin, Oe- tober 1, 1873, to Miss Mary Durham, who was born in Loekport, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1853, and died August 19th, 1895. Of their children three are living : Mrs. C. R. Winslow, who is a resident of Wa- tertown, South Dakota; W. G. Anglim, who is a mem- ber of the firm of Whaley & Anglim, wholesale hat and eap merchants in St. Paul, and H. T. Anglim, who is also a resident of Watertown, South Dakota. The parents are both buried at Crookston and the family still have large property interests in Crookston and Polk County.
HENRY H. OBERG.
After many years of hard labor, during which he encountered and overeame a number of difficulties and disasters, this enterprising and progressive citizen and successful farmer is now living retired in the vil- lage of Alvarado, Marshall county, where he occupies himself in keeping a livery barn and feed stable in order to have something to engage his attention. At one time he owned 920 acres of land in Sandsville township, which he helped to organize in 1883, and 240 acres in Higdem township, and for some years superintended and personally directed the cultivation of it all. He has, however, recently sold the greater part of his real estate to his children.
Mr. Oberg came from Renville county to Polk in 1882 and took a homestead on the Southwest quarter of Seetion 22, in what is now Sandsville township, on Snake river. He had two yoke of oxen and was aeeom- panied by John Hendrickson, now deceased, who took a homestead in Seetion 28. Martin Sands was then the only settler within the limits of the present town-
ship, and he had come earlier in the same year. The next year Henry Nelson, Ole Engson and Henry Hen- drickson joined the colony, and after them eame others in more rapid course.
There was some timber along Snake river and from it the new settlers put up a little log shanty and each broke up ten aeres of his land. They were not mar- ried and lived together after the house was built, but until then they slept in their wagon. They did fene- ing for pasture land during the winter and got ready for the next year's work. Then they brought live stoek from Renville county, and plowed ground and sowed wheat. But the land was wet, and the ten aeres Mr. Oberg had in wheat yielded only eighty bushels of good grain.
Mr. Oberg was married in 1888 to Miss Mary Paul- son. By this time he had built another log house and had raised several good erops. He had also taken a tree elaim in Seetion 26, and in time he made this one of the best tree elaims in the county. He bought
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
railroad land at $6 an aere, but with no rebate, and later bought more at $8 an acre. His father, whose name was also Henry H. Oberg, came to Polk county in 1883 and took up a homestead on which he died two years afterward. On the death of the father this land passed into the ownership of the son.
When the township was organized in 1883 it was named in honor of Martin Sands, its first settler. Mr. Oberg was township treasurer and assessor at different times. After cultivating all his land in this town- ship for a number of years he began renting parts of it to his sons, and in 1915 he had six farms worked by them. About 1895 he erected the house which is now on his home place, and which is one of the best in the northern part of the county. The farm has a flowing well 160 feet deep, which furnishes more' water than is needed, and there is a large drove of
Shorthorn eattle of good strains on the place at all times. Mr. Oberg divided his land among his chil- dren and moved to Alvarado in 1914. He has five chil- dren, all unmarried, and working together. They are IIilma, Albert, Oscar, Emma and Selma.
The mother of these children died in 1907, and in 1912 the father contracted a second marriage which united him with Miss Thea Olson. They have one child, their son, Henry Melvin, now (1915) two years old. The parents are members of the Kronsvinger Nor- wegian Lutheran church, in Esther township, which Mr. Oberg helped to organize and of which he was one of the trustees for many years. He has always taken an active interest in the affairs of his township and rendered it every service devolving on a good citizen, and its residents hold him in high esteem for all he has done.
IIAYES BROTHERS.
James C. and Samuel C. Hayes, who are associated in business as partners and are almost inseparable, although they maintain separate homes on opposite sides of the main road leading through their land, are among the most extensive, enterprising, progressive and successful farmers in the Red River valley. They cultivate with great energy and in the most approved present-day methods over 2,000 acres of land, and have a great deal more which will be brought into productiveness within a short time. Their land is in Sections 9 and 16, Hubbard township, three and three- quarters miles northeast of Neilsville, five and a quar- ter miles southeast of Climax and twenty-two miles southwest of Crookston.
The brothers were born, reared, educated and mar- ried in Union county, Pennsylvania, and began their business careers as lumbermen in the timber camps of their native state. They have been partners from their youth, and have succeeded broadly because of the unity of effort that has directed their business ability and enterprise. James' life began July 6, 1844, and Samuel's June 13, 1847. Their father was a lawyer
and a surveyor, and he, his father and one of his sons served Union county, Pennsylvania, as county sur- veyors each in his day. After some years of anxiety and discontent in the practice of law the father of James and Samuel abandoned it because of his scru- ples in connection with some requirements of the pro- fession, but continued to give his neighbors and friends free legal advice.
The progenitors of this Hayes family's American branch came from the North of Ireland and settled in Pennsylvania in 1727. They were of Scotch ancestry and Covenanters in religion, and the members of the family now living are zealous adherents of the faith of their forbears, all belonging to the Presbyterian church. The members of the family have been patriots in this country for generations, too. Four of them were commissioned officers of the Continental army during the Revolution, three of them being captains and the fourth a lieutenant. James C., during our Civil war, served nine months in the Army of the Potomac and the rest of three years in the United States navy as a common sailor.
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COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY OF POLK COUNTY
When the humber trade showed signs of exhaustion in Pennsylvania James C. Hayes sought a Western field of operation in the same line, as neither he nor his brother had any early inclination to farming. He was induced by an editor friend at Pembina to come to the Red River valley in 1878, and the next year his brother Samuel joined him here. They bought a section of railroad land in the town of Hubbard at $7.50 an acre, with the usual rebate of $3 an aere for breaking and cultivating, and on this land they located in 1881. They had only $2,000 between them, but James also took up a homestead in Reis township and Samuel a pre-emption elaim in Liberty township. They had some live stock and farming implements, but were not well supplied for extensive farming operations, and had several years of difficulty in the business.
In hard years they suffered from crop failures and other losses, and were unable to make the stipulated payments on their land. But they found the railroad company generous in its accommodations, and now have none but words of praise for James J. Hill and his policy in selling land and encouraging settlers. They also found the Polk county banks liberal in spirit and action, and they also commend the bankers of this county highly. They have been large borrowers from the banks and have always been promptly aecommo- dated.
Soon after locating here the brothers bought all of
School Section 16, in Hubbard township, which gave them an aggregate of 2,480 acres, 240 acres of which are devoted to raising hay.
The specialty of the Hayes brothers is grain, and they have adhered to raising it from the beginning. Their erop in 1915, which was lessened one-third by the wetness of the season, amounted to 25,000 bushels. They have their own elevator on the farm and it has a capacity of 40,000 bushels. Seven men are employed by the month during parts of the year and three throughout the year, while twenty are required dur- ing the threshing season. The brothers plow with a gas engine and use it also in threshing, and they also use forty horses in their work, although they have a great deal of money invested in first-class modern machinery.
James C. Ilayes was married in his native county in 1884 to Miss Mary Glover, who is also a native of that county. They have had three children, but lost them all in their childhood. Samuel C. Hayes was married in Pennsylvania in 1893, to Miss Ella Burn of Harrisburg, in that state. They have no children. The brothers have always been warmly and serviceably interested in the progress and development of Polk county, and have been potent factors in making and keeping up the good roads for which Hubbard town- ship is noted. They are well pleased with Minnesota and desire to live in no other place.
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