USA > Minnesota > Brown County > History of Brown County, Minnesota: Its People, Industries and Institutions (Volume 1) > Part 56
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Politically, Rev. Wheeler votes independently. He is a member of the Psi Upsilon college fraternity and of the Masonic order, including the Mystic Shrine. He has been high priest in the chapter and was prelate for several years and then commander for one year of DeMolay Commandery No. 26, Knights Templar. While in St. Louis he served several years as state secretary and treasurer of the Con- gregational church conference, and is now registrar of the western association of the Minnesota Congregational churches. By election of the boys, he is serving as scout master of Troop No. 1, Boy Scouts of America.
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CARL OTTO WEILANDT.
Carl Otto Weilandt, well-known millman, contractor and builder, head of the prosperous and progressive firm of Weilandt & Stegeman at New Ulm, this county, is a native son of Minnesota, having been born on a farm in Welling- ton township, Renville county, January 22, 1879, son of Carl and Augusta (Fitzlaff) Weilandt, natives of Ger- many. He died on September 4, 1915; she died January 6, 1916.
Carl Weilandt is the third in order of birth of the six children born to his parents, Julius Weilandt and wife, well-to-do farming people of the vicinity of Schiefelbein, in the province of Pomerania, Germany, the others being Julius, Herman, Herminia, Augusta and Mary. He grew to manhood on the home farm and became a farmer on his own account. When a young man he came to America and settled in the Northwest. In 1863 he came to the United States, proceeding directly to Minnesota and settling at New Ulm, good reports of which thriving settlement had reached the Fatherland. For a time after coming here, Carl Weilandt worked in a brickyard at New Ulm, but presently he "got his bearings," and in 1865 homesteaded a tract of one hundred and twenty acres in Penville county and there he established his home, gradually developing and improving the place until he came to be regarded as one of the substantial farmers of that neighborhood. He and his wife were members of the Lutheran church and ever took their part in the good works of the community during
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their long residence in Renville county. Six children were born to them, but two of whom lived to maturity, Ida, who married Herman R. Stegeman, well-known builder and con- tractor and millman, of New Ulm, and Carl Otto, the sub- ject of this review. When well past middle age, Carl Wei- landt and his wife retired from the farm and moved to New Ulm, where they made their home until their death.
Carl Otto Weilandt was reared on the homestead farm in Renville county, receiving his elementary education in the district school in the neighborhood of his home, which he supplemented by taking a business course in the Dr. Martin Luther College at New Ulm, to which he added a further course in a correspondence school in which he ac- quired a thorough technical knowledge of carpentry and building. When nineteen years of age he took up the prac- tical side of the carpentry trade and shortly became a competent craftsman in that line, following the trade as a journeyman carpenter for a number of years. He then, in 1904, formed a partnership with his brother-in-law, Herman R. Stegeman, and the firm established a planing-mill in New Ulm and engaged in the general building and contract- ing business, in which it has been very successful, many of the best buildings in and about New Ulm testifying to the substantial character of the work done by Weilandt & Stege- man, the firm early having acquired a fine reputation as skilful and reliable builders.
On July 23, 1903, Carl O. Weilandt was united in mar- riage to Louisa Schroer, who was born and reared in New Ulm, daughter of Henry and Mary Schroer, natives of Westphalia, Germany, and tolerably early settlers in New Ulm, where both spent their last days. Mrs. Weilandt is
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the fourth eldest of thirteen children born to her parents, the others who grew to maturity being Emma, Mary, Min- nie, William, Fred, Herman, Carl and Ernest. Mr. and Mrs. Weilandt are members of the Lutheran church and take a warm interest in the general beneficences of the same, being held in high esteem throughout the entire community. Mr. Weilandt is a wide-awake and public-spirited citizen, deeply interested in the progress and welfare of his home community, and occupies a firm place in the regard of busi- ness circles generally hereabout.
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J. P. EDWARD BERTRAND.
Among Cobden's efficient officials the name of J. P. Edward Bertrand must be included, for those acquainted with his work say it has always been well and faithfully done. He was born in the township of Home, Minnesota, December 11, 1876, and has been content to spend most of his life in Brown county. He is a son of Dominic and Mary (Huffman) Bertrand, both natives of Luxemburg, Ger- many. The former came to this country as a young man, settling in Dakota county, Minnesota, removing to Brown county in 1865, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres in Home township, developing a good farm through hard work, and there he continued to reside until his death in 1885. His family consisted of eight children, namely : Jack, Paul, Kate, Matt, J. P. Edward, John, Frank and Anna.
Mr. Bertrand grew to manhood in Home township, Brown county, working on the farm during the crop sea- sons and attending the district schools in the winter time, later was a student of the high school at Sleepy Eye, then spent one year in the Mankato Normal, after which he taught school for five years in his native county, then pur- chased a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Redwood county, where he lived two years, removing from there to Cobden where he entered the livery, feed and dray busi- ness, also handled fuel, following this line of endeavor for seven years, then sold the livery business and bought the Cobden Mutual Telephone Company's business of which he (27a)
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is still proprietor. It consists of about sixty telephones and about thirty miles of telephone lines. He is also proprietor of the Cobden feed and grist-mill, which business he started in 1913. He has been successful in all these enterprises.
Mr. Bertrand was married in 1904 to Kate Miller, a daughter of J. P. Miller, who was a native of Saxony and who was one of the pioneer settlers of Brown county, Min- nesota, coming here when young, and here he received his education. He had two children, a boy and a girl, the for- mer dying in infancy. Mr. and Mrs. Bertrand have six children, namely: Florence, Edward, Roman, Rosella, El- nora and Clarence.
Mr. Bertrand is an independent voter. He is now re- corder of Cobden. He has held all the town offices but that of mayor. He is a Catholic and belongs to the Knights of Columbus, at New Ulm, and St. John's Society at Sleepy Eye.
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ALEX SCHWENDINGER.
Alex Schwendinger, church decorator of New Ulm, Brown county, was born on November 29, 1862, in Tyrol, Austria, and is a son of Ignatz and Josepha (Rein) Schwen- dinger. The father was born in Tyrol, Austria, where he grew up and married and there he followed the trade of sculptor until he brought his family to the United States in the spring of 1879. He and his wife had four children, two sons and two daughters. The family located at once in New Ulm, Minnesota, where the father lived until his death in November, 1904.
Alex Schwendinger spent his boyhood in Tyrol, Aus- tria, where he received his education, and he studied paint- ing and decorating for four years in the Munich art school, and he has since followed his trade with much success, being highly skilled and a rapid worker. He decorated the Holy Trinity church in New Ulm, and has done a great deal of similar work on churches in Minnesota, Iowa and South Dakota. He was married on January 8, 1907, in Carroll county, Iowa, to Anna Vens, who was born on September 23, 1886, in Roselle, Carroll county, Iowa. She is a daugh- ter of John and Mary Vens. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Schwendinger, namely: Norbert and El- vira, twins, who were born on March 23, 1910; Seraphia, June 15, 1911, and Alphonse, December 23, 1912. All the family are members of the Catholic church.
Among Mr. Schwendinger's works of art may be men- tioned a painting of the battle between the Indians and the
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settlers at New Ulm, August 22, 1862. In his earlier career he did a great deal of portrait painting, in which field he has considerable talent, but of recent years he has had but little to do in this line, owing to the advanced art of pho- tography, which has taken the place of oil paintings to a great extent. He is in partnership with M. E. Schuster, and looks after the inside painting and decorating and the business end of the firm, which has existed since 1912.
Theodore Schwendinger, brother of Alex, was born on February 11, 1860, in Tyrol, Austria, and after attending school until he was fourteen years of age, began learning the marble-cutter's trade, which he has since followed with much success and in which he is very highly skilled. His father was a sculptor and he worked with him until his death, since which time he has conducted his business alone and makes tombstones and monuments exclusively. He has made a great many of the monuments in the cemeteries of Brown county, his work being of an exceptionally high order. He was married in New Ulm, July 11, 1893, to Cath- erine Schneider, who was born in Tyrol, Austria, June 8, 1865, and is a daughter of John and Christinsea (Martin) Schneider. She came to the United States in March, 1892, and is the only one of her family living in America. To Theodore Schwendinger and wife five children have been born, two of whom are deceased, dying in childhood; those living are Valeria, born October 14, 1895; Mathilda, March 8, 1899; Alexia, born February 28, 1903. The parents and children are all members of the Catholic church, and he belongs to the German Catholic Society of Minnesota.
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REV. WILLIAM C. ALBRECHT.
The Rev. William C. Albrecht, pastor of St. John's German Evangelical Lutheran church at Sleepy Eye, this county, is a native son of Minnesota, having been born in Scott county, this state, September 23, 1884, son of the Rev. G. Albrecht and wife, both natives of Germany, who are now located at Emmett, Renville county, this state, the Rev. G. Albrecht having been pastor of the German Lutheran church at that place since 1897.
The Rev. G. Albrecht has been a resident of this coun- try since he was about twenty-five years old, he having come to the United States at that period of his life, entering Northwestern College, at Watertown, Wisconsin. Upon completing the course there he entered the German Luth- eran Seminary at Milwaukee and upon completing his theo- logical course there was ordained to the ministry. His first charge was at Jordan, in the neighboring county of Scott,. this state, he having been installed as pastor of the church at that place in 1883, and there he remained until 1897, in which year he accepted a call to the church at Emmett, where he is still stationed. He and his wife are the parents of thirteen children, of whom the subject of this sketch is the eldest and all of whom are living save Ruth, the eighth in order of birth, the others being Minnie, Theophilus, Emma, Lydia, Imanuel, Henry, Paul, Christian, Victor and Marie.
William C. Albrecht received his elementary educa- tion in the schools at Jordan and at Renville, supplementing
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the same by a two-years course at the Dr. Martin Luther College at New Ulm, after which he attended Northwestern College at Watertown, Wisconsin, for two years and thus equipped by preparatory study entered the theological semi- nary of the German Lutheran church at Wanwatosa, Wis- consin, and after completing the course there was ordained in 1906. The Rev. W. C. Albrecht's first charge was at White Brookings county, South Dakota, to the church at which place he was called immediately after leaving the seminary, and he remained there until the call came to him to accept the pastorate of St. John's German Lutheran church at Sleepy Eye. He entered upon the duties of pastor of that parish in April, 1911, and has been so engaged ever since, during which time he has done a fine work in extend- ing the interests of the parish both spiritually and ma- terially.
On June 19, 1907, the Rev. William C. Albrecht was united in marriage to Minnie B. Retzlaff, daughter of F. H. and Minnie Retzlaff, and to this union four children have been born, Ruth, Gilbert, Armin and Philip. The Rev. Mr. Albrecht takes a warm interest in local civic affairs, but is not an active adherent of any political party, reserv- ing to himself the privilege of voting only for such aspirants for public office as he deems best fitted for the performance of the duties of the offices to which they aspire.
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ANDREW J. GOBLIRSCH.
One of the well-known men in financial circles in Brown county is Andrew J. Goblirsch, of the State Bank of Cobden, Minnesota. He was born in Lafayette, Nicollet county, this state, March 5, 1881, and is a son of John and Elizabeth Goblirsch, both natives of Austria, in which country the father grew to manhood, was educated and re- mained until he was thirty-five years of age when he immi- grated to the United States, taking up a homestead in La- fayette township, Nicollet county, Minnesota. By hard persistent labor he developed a good farm from the virgin prairie and there spent the rest of his life, dying in 1908. His family consisted of ten children, namely: Adam, George, John, Mike, Joe, Frank, Charles, Anton, Andrew J. and Katherine.
The subject of this review grew up on the homestead where he worked when a boy, and he received his education in the public schools of this community in Nicollet county, but on leaving school at the age of eighteen, he went to Mankato, spending two years as a student in the normal college there, and then began working in a general store in Lafayette, remaining there two years, after which he took an interest in a mercantile business in Wabasso, Minnesota, where he remained about three years; then went to Leonard, North Dakota, and was assistant cashier of the First State Bank of that place for three years. From there he went to Grace City, that state, where he became assistant cashier in the Farmers and Merchants Bank and remained in this po-
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sition one year, after which he went to Morgan, Minnesota, and engaged in the grocery business one year, then became cashier of the State Bank of Cobden, .where he has since remained. This bank has a capital of about ten thousand dollars, two thousand dollars surplus and about eighty-five thousand dollars assets. Mr. Goblirsch has done much toward its steady growth.
Mr. Goblirsch was married in 1904 to Susa M. Welter, a daughter of Peter and Louisa Welter. Her father was born in Luxemburg, Germany, and the mother was a native of Wisconsin. Mrs. Goblirsch was born in Sleepy Eye. Nine children, two sons and seven daughters, were born to Mr. and Mrs. Welter. To subject and wife four children have been born, namely: Edmund, Margeurite, Evelyn and Elaine. Politically, he is a Democrat. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus lodge at New Ulm, and the Catho- lic church at Sleepy Eye.
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A. H. PICKLE.
A. H. Pickle, the well-known insurance agent at Sleepy Eye, this county, an honored veteran of the Civil War, who also for years has been one of the best-known general deal- ers in real estate in this county, is a native of the British dominion across the border to the north, having been born in Canada, July 2, 1843, son of Simon and Sarah (Taylor) Pickle, the former a native of Massachusetts and the latter of England, who later became pioneers of Minnesota, their last days being spent in this state.
Simon Pickle was born in the city of Boston and when a boy moved with his parents to Canada, east, where he grew to manhood on a farm. He married there and became the owner of a farm, on which he lived until 1855, in which years he came to the United States and settled in Illinois. A year later, however, he came to Minnesota and Mr. Pickle homesteaded a quarter of a section of land in Olmsted county, about midway between what is now known as Dover and Eota. His family came in 1857. He and his wife spent their last days in Dover township, Olmsted county. They were the parents of ten children, John E., Joseph, Simon Taylor, George T., John, Myron A., Tryphena M., Catherine C., Alma, Sarah and A. H. Eight of these chil- dren are deceased.
A. H. Pickle was about thirteen years old when he came to this state with his parents and he worked on the farm until he enlisted, August 14, 1862, for service during the Civil War, in Company K, First Regiment, Minnesota
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Volunteer Infantry, in which he served until the close of the war. On February 1, 1864, he was promoted from pri- vate to corporal and was transferred to the First Minnesota Battalion; on July 22 following he was promoted to ser- geant and on May 30, 1865, was promoted to first sergeant, which was his rank when he was mustered out at Baileys Cross Roads, Virginia, June 8, 1865, his regiment having previously participated in the Grand Review at Washing- ton. Mr. Pickle witnessed much severe service during the war, having taken part in the battles of Louden Valley, Fredericksburg, Hay Market, Gettysburg, Bristow Station, Mine Run, Petersburg, Jerusalem and Plank Road, Deep Bottom, Reams Station, Hatchers Run, Farmhill and High- bridge and was present at Lee's surrender at Appomattox, April 9, 1865. At the battle of Deep Bottom, at the immi- nent peril of his own life, he carried from the field Major HI. D. O'Brien, who had been seriously wounded. For this act of conspicuous bravery Mr. Pickle was awarded a Medal of Honor by Congress in 1895. During his long and ardu- ous service in the army Mr. Pickle was never wounded. He celebrated his twentieth birthday anniversary while engaged in action at the battle of Gettysburg, July 2, 1863, and fifty years later attended the famous "blue and gray" reunion on that field. For many years Mr. Pickle has been an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic and since 1908 has been commander of Wesley Green Post No. 71, of that patriotic organization at Sleepy Eye, and whenever possible is present at the state and national encampments of the or- ganization. Senator Knut Nelson introduced a special bill in Congress which awarded Mr. Pickle an increase in pen- sion from seventeen to thirty dollars a month.
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Upon the conclusion of his military service Mr. Pickle returned to his home in Minnesota. At Rochester, in the fall of 1867, he married and later moved to Winona, where he helped to haul the brick with which to erect the first normal school in that city. For a year he was engaged in the transfer business there. He then rented a farm of three hundred and sixty-five acres in Olmsted county and made his home there for fifteen years, at the end of which time he was engaged as the overseer of the big Nevis ranch at Tracy, where he remained for two years and six months, at the end of which time he moved on his farm at Golden Gate, Brown county, and located on a quarter of a section of land he had bought in 1872 in Home township, where for four years he engaged in general farming and stock raising. He then retired from the farm and moved in 1906 to Sleepy Eye, where he presently engaged in the real-estate and in- surance business in partnership with Isaac Gallagher, which association continued until Mr. Gallagher's death nine years later. Mr. Pickle then associated with him in business Thomas Talbert, who died not long afterward, since which time Mr. Pickle has been conducting his extensive insurance and real-estate business alone. He is the local agent for a number of the leading insurance companies of the country and has a very well-established business.
On October 22, 1867, A. H. Pickle was united in mar- riage to Rhoda J. Smith, of Burlington, Iowa, to which union six children were born, namely: Frank A., deceased; Burton O., who married Milla Burkhardt and has three children; Roy B., who married Josie Wisby and has four children; Arthur T., unmarried; Anna, who married George Dreher and has five children, and Ella, who married Ernest
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Tompkins and has one child. Mr. Pickle is a Royal Arch Mason and a member of the Knights and Ladies of Honor, in the affairs of which organizations he takes a warm inter- est. He is a Republican and has served as a member of the Sleepy Eye city council, taking an active interest in civic affairs.
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GEORGE BROSIUS WEISER, M. D.
Dr. George B. Weiser, one of the leading physicians of Brown county, chairman of the board of education at New Ulm, and one of the most progressive and public-spirited citizens of that thriving city, is a native of the great Key- stone state, having been born at Dalmatia, Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, September 7, 1857, son of Dr. Charles S. and Sarah (Brosius) Weiser, both natives of that same county, the former born at Sunbury in 1828, and the latter, at Dalmatia, in 1832.
Dr. Charles S. Weiser and his brother, Dr. George Weiser, were for years regarded as among the most promi- nent physicians in their part of Pennsylvania, and the sub- ject of this sketch, even from the days of his boyhood, took an interest in medical literature and early decided to be- come a physician. Dr. Charles S. Weiser, who was the son of Judge George and Catherine (Bucher) Weiser, received his early education in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, and attended Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, from which he was graduated in 1850. Upon receiving his degree he started practice in Shamokin, Pennsylvania, but after be- ing there about a year, moved his office to Dalmatia, in the same county, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring in 1862. Judge George Weiser was for years an associate judge in Northumberland county, Penn- sylvania. He was a direct descendant of Conrad Weiser of colonial fame, head of the first German colony that settled in Berks county, Pennsylvania, whose influence among the Indians in the early days of the colonies brought his serv-
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ices into requisition from Virginia to New York. It is claimed that he swayed more influence over Indians than any other man of his day, excepting William Penn. He long was an Indian agent in Pennsylvania and was em- ployed by the colonial government in the work of negotiating treaties with the Indians before the days of the French and Indian War. He had a thorough acquaintance with the Indian tongue and his services as an interpreter were in wide demand. Dr. Charles S. Weiser was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, where his father, Judge Weiser, had his resi- dence, and was of substantial Pennsylvania-German stock. He and his wife were the parents of three children, one who died in infancy, Elizabeth C. and the subject of this bio- graphical sketch.
George B. Weiser received his elementary education in the Dalmatia schools, later attending Freeburg Academy, Perrysburg Seminary and Sunbury Academy, the latter presided over and tutored by Prof. N. Foster Brown. He also had been a diligent student of medical literature under a preceptor for two years and when he entered Jefferson Medical College at Philadelphia, was well equipped by preparatory study for the effective pursuit of his studies. He took a special course in skin diseases under the late Prof. J. V. Shoemaker, of Philadelphia, at the Philadelphia dis- pensary for skin diseases; a special course on diseases of children, and also took a special course in the Philadelphia School of Anatomy under Prof. John B. Roberts. Upon receiving his diploma from Jefferson Medical College in 1879, Doctor Weiser located for the practice of his profes- sion at McKees Half Falls, Pennsylvania, where he re- mained for fourteen years. During his residence there Doc- tor Weiser took an active part in public affairs and served
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for some time in the capacity of coroner in and for Snyder county, Pennsylvania, and was also for ten years a member of the town auditing board. He wrote for the "History of the Juanita and Susquehanna Valleys," a historical sketch covering in comprehensive form the history of Chapman township and of Mckees Half Falls.
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