USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 20
USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 20
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Battle View, North Dakota; Mrs. S. A. Satterlee, of Evansville; Hans, of White Earth, North Dakota, where he is engaged in the grain business; Anna and Carrie, of Evansville; Hjalmer, cashier of the bank at Kanmer, North Dakota ; Olive, who died at the age of one year.
Otto C. Thronson received his education in the public schools of Erdahl township, but was unable to attend school to any great extent, owing to ill health. He grew to manhood on the home farm and engaged in farming with his father until 1900, when he purchased the farm, of two hundred and forty acres, and here he has engaged in general farming and stock raising, in which he has been most successful.
On July 3, 1901, Otto C. Thronson was united in marriage to Alice Sorknes, the daughter of Peter and Bertha (Wold) Sorknes. Her parents were born in Norway and there received their education, and there they grew to manhood and womanhood and were married. They later decided to come to America and after their arrival in the United States they came direct to Minnesota, locating in Pelican Lake township, Grant county, where they lived for many years. They were among the early pioneers of the town- ship and had much to do with the social and religious development of the community. They later retired from the activities of farm life and now live at San Jacinto, California. Mr. Sorknes was a man of much prominence in the county, and took much interest in the growth and the development of the district, where he and his wife were held in the highest regard and esteem.
The years 1901 and 1902 were most unfortunate for Otto C. Thronson, owing to the failure of the crops, and he became discouraged and insisted that his father take the farm back. With the encouragement that he received from his father, he kept the place, but went to North Dakota, where he home- steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land near White Earth, all of which was wild prairie. Here he built a small house and then left his wife to care for the place, while he returned to his farm in Grant county. He planted his crops and in due time reaped his harvest, which was a record breaker. In the fall of 1903 he rented his home farm and rejoined his family on his homestead in North Dakota, where he remained for one year and proved up on the place, when he returned to Grant county. He rented the farm in North Dakota for two years and then sold the place at ten dollars per acre. This, with the profits on his crops, enabled him to complete the payments on the home farm and make some valuable improvements. He remodeled the house and purchased one hundred and twenty acres more land. He now has three hundred and sixty acres of the best of land, all of which is under
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high cultivation and well improved. Here he is engaged in general farm- ing and stock raising, in which he has been very successful. He has a fine herd of sixty Shorthorn cattle, which are among the best in the township. For many years Mr. Thronson devoted his energies to grain farming, but for the past few years he has been devoting more time to the development of his herd of stock. He has completed a magnificent dairy barn, thirty-four by sixty feet in size, with full basement and a hay loft with capacity for one hundred tons of hav. The basement is of concrete walls, floors and feed troughs. He has stanchion room for twenty-four head of cows and two calf pens are also furnished with stanchions. The barn is built with a view to the best sanitary conditions and shows that much care and attention has been given to its construction.
To Otto C. and Alice (Sorknes) Thronson have been born five children, Carmen, Bernice, Willard, Lillian and Marjorie. Mr. and Mrs. Thronson are active members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and take much inter- est in all church work. They have long been prominent in the social and religious life of the community and Mr. Thronson has always taken a keen interest in the civic life of the township and the county. He served for a number of years as a member of the school board and as township super- visor, having resigned these positions when he was elected county commis- sioner, which position he held for two terms. As a public official, Mr. Thron- son has given the best of satisfaction and is held in the highest regard by all. In addition to his other interests, he is a stockholder in the Erdahl Farmers Elevator.
ANDREW O. BAH.
Andrew O. Bah, a native of Norway and a well-known and successful farmer of Erdahl township, Grant county, Minnesota, was born on June 27, 1861, being the son of Ole A. and Bertha Bah. Ole A. and Bertha Bah were also born in Norway and there received their education in the public schools, grew to manhood and womanhood and were married. They continued to live in the land of their nativity until 1870, when they decided to come to America, where they might make a home for themselves and their family. On their arrival in the United States they came direct to Minnesota, remain- ing for a few weeks at Preston, Fillmore county, visiting old friends and making preparations for their location. Here Mr. Bah purchased a team of oxen and wagon and, with this outfit, made the journey to Grant county.
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Here he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 2, Erdahl township, the tract at that time being all wild prairie, with no improve- ments. A dugout, with sod roof, was soon constructed and in this the family lived the first year and a half. A log house, fourteen by sixteen feet, was then constructed and roofed with sod from the plains. In this they lived for a number of years, until better and more substantial buildings could be erected. The first year Mr. Bah raised no crop, but devoted his time to to the breaking of the soil, preparatory to planting a crop the next year, when he succeeded in harvesting some three acres of good wheat. He con- tinned to develop and improve the place and engaged in general farming until the time of his death in 1891, at the age of sixty-four years. The widow died the next year at the age of sixty-one years. They were the parents of the following children: H. P., M. G., Sophia, Olaous, Minnie and Andrew, all of whom are now deceased with the exception of Olaous, who is a well known farmer of Erdahl township, and Andrew. Mr. and Mrs. Bah were well known in the social and the religious life of the community, and Mr. Bah took much interest in all local affairs, and had much to do with the growth and development of the township. He belonged to the Lutheran church.
Andrew O. Bah received his education in the public schools of Erdahl township and grew to manhood on the home farm. He remained with his father until the latter's death, when he purchased the farm of the heirs and here he has continued to reside. He has done much in the way of develop- ment and improvement, having erected all of the splendid buildings now on the farm. His house is a fine modern building and the barn is thirty-six by sixty-two feet, with a full basement. He has a beautiful grove and a fine apple orchard, the most of which he has planted and cared for. Here he is engaged in general farming and stock raising and has been most suc- cessful. During the past few years he has been devoting much of his time to his stock and has a fine herd of cattle and many good hogs.
In 1885 Andrew O. Bah was united in marriage to Isabelle Johnson, who was born in Iowa, where her parents had located on their arrival from Norway. To this union the following children have been born: George, Anna, Ida and Nellie. George, a successful farmer of the township, mar- ried Ella Peterson and they are the parents of two children, Murrel and Vivian; Ida is the wife of Olaf Peterson, a well known farmer of North Dakota, and they are the parents of two children, Verna and Orvil; Nellie is the wife of Elmer Peterson, a well-to-do farmer of Douglas county and
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they are the parents of two children, Roy and Inez. Mr. and Mrs. Bah are active members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and take much interest in all church work, being prominent in the social and the religious life of the community, where they are held in the highest regard and esteem by all who know them.
Politically, Andrew O. Bah is identified with the Republican party and has long been interested in the civic life of the township. For nine years he was a member of the township board of supervisors and for fifteen years a member of the school board. He has always given the same careful atten- tion to his official duties that he did to his private affairs. He took much interest in the development of the schools of the township and has ever been a strong advocate of substantial public improvements. He has used his influence in the promotion of all worthy causes that would advance the best interests of the township and the county. He is a stockholder in the Farm- ers Elevator Company at Erdahl and has had much to do with its success.
HENRY M. MARTINSON.
One of the promising young farmers of Sanford township, Grant county, is Henry M. Martinson, who was born in Pomme de Terre township, this county, July 30, 1886. He is a son of Peter and Nellie Martinson, both natives of Sweden, the father born on March 31, 1858, and the mother in 1860. They came to America while still single, locating in Litchfield, Minne- sota, in 1881, and were married in 1882, after which they went to Douglas Falls, this state, where Mr. Martinson worked one year on the Great North- ern railroad. In 1883 he moved to Grant county and established the home of the family, buying one hundred and sixty acres. Prospering by close application and good management, he added to his original holdings until he accumulated six hundred acres of valuable land in Elbow Lake township, where he carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale many years, but is now living retired. He has a modern home, with up-to- date improvements and a large grove. Politically, he is a Republican. He has long been a member of the local school board and of the township board. He and his wife belong to the Swedish Lutheran church at Elbow Lake. Their family consists of nine children, all living, namely: Anne, Amanda, Henry, Olivia, Ida, Arthur, Oscar, Esther and Lillie.
Henry M. Martinson grew up on the home farm and received his edu-
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cation in the local public schools. He has always farmed and now owns one hundred and sixty acres of good land in Sanford township, where he engages in general farming and stock raising. He moved on this place in 1910.
Politically, he is a Republican and has been a member of the local school board for six years. He is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church.
Mr. Martinson was married, in 1910, to Melve Flatness, a native of Grant county, where she grew up and attended school. The date of her birth was November 15, 1887, and she is a daughter of John and Atlanta Flatness. The father was born in Norway and the mother on the Atlantic ocean, while her parents were en route to America. They came on to Minne- sota and are still living on a farm in Elbow Lake. To Mr. and Mrs. Martin- son three children have been born, Warren, Webster and Norman.
A. A. ROONEY.
A. A. Rooney, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Osakis township, Douglas county, was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, on Sep- tember 17. 1870, the son of John and Elizabeth (Kelly) Rooney, who were born in Ireland and there received their education in the common schools, grew to manhood and womanhood and were married. In 1848 they decided that they would leave the land of their birth and seek a home in America, where so many of their countrymen had come. After land- ing in New York they decided to locate there, and for the next seven years that was their home. In the fall of 1854 they removed to Dodge county, Wisconsin, where they lived until 1887, when they became residents of Minneapolis, wheer they resided for the next two years. In 1889 they located in Austin, Minnesota, and lived there three years, after which they removed to Farmington, where they remained until 1901. They then removed to Osakis township, Douglas county, and there Mr. Rooney died in 1907. They were the parents of the following children; Patrick, Thomas, Isa- belle, Lizzie, Anna, Frank, Stephen, Margaret, Isabelle, Jennie, and A. A. The first-born Isabelle is now deceased. The family are devout members of the Catholic church.
A. A. Rooney received his education in the public schools of Dodge county, Wisconsin. As a young man he started farming for himself, at
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Austin, Minnesota. In 1901 he moved to Osakis township, Douglas county, where he is now the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of land, which is well developed and improved with good and substantial buildings, Mr. Rooney having built the barn and granary and made many other valuable and substantial improvements.
A. A. Rooney was united in marriage to Laura Nelson, a native of Norway, and to this union the following children have been born; Lucile, Bernard, Irene, Vincent, Stella, Sylvester, Stephen, Ambrose, Lawrence, Irene and Lestie, Irene is now deceased. The family are devout mem- bers of the Catholic church. Mr. Rooney has always taken an active inter- est in local affairs and has been clerk of Osakis township since 1911.
KNUT A. PIKOP.
Knut A. Pikop, one of Grant county's farmers, proprietor of a farm in Elbow Lake township, is a native son of Grant county and has lived there all his life. He was born on the old Pikop homestead farm in Elbow Lake township, in the immediate neighborhood of his present home, June 30, 1874, son of Anders and Gunhild (Ramstad) Pikop, natives of the kingdom of Norway and pioneers of Grant county, the former of whom died in the summer of 1902 and the latter of whom is still living on the old homestead place, now well past seventy-two years of age. In a biographical sketch relating to the Hon. Ole A. Pikop, representative in the Legisla- ture and elder brother of the subject of this sketch, presented elsewhere in this volume, there is set out in detail particulars of the genealogy and the history of the Pikop family in this state, to which the attention of the reader is respectfully invited in this connection.
Reared on the homestead farm on which he was born, Knut A. Pikop received his schooling in the local district school and from the days of his youth was an able assistant to his father in the labors of developing the home farm, Anders Pikop becoming the owner of eighteen hundred acres of land and long recognized as one of the most substantial and influen- tial farmers in Grant county. Knut A. Pikop, in 1915, erected a fine, new, modern house on his place and he and his family are now very com- fortably and very pleasantly situated. It was in 1899 that Knut A. Pikop was united in marriage to Andrea Torgerson, who was born in Norway. daughter of one of the early settlers in Grant county, and to this union
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five children have been born, Lily, Arthur, Lester, Gilma and Iner. Mr. and Mrs. Pikop are members of the United Lutheran church at Elbow Lake and take a warm interest in the various beneficences of that organi- zation as well as in all community good works, helpful in advancing the cause of better citizenship along all lines hereabout.
AXEL BURKEE.
Axel Burkee, cashier of the Farmers State Bank at Brandon and one of the best-known young bankers in Douglas county, is a native son of that county and has always lived there. He was born on a farm in Urness town- ship, July 9, 1888, son of Andrew and Carrie ( Moe) Burkee, natives of the kingdom of Norway and early settlers in Douglas county, the latter of whom is still living on the old home place in Urness township.
Andrew Burkee was born on February II, 1837, and in 1861, when twenty-four years of age, came to the United States, which just then was in the throes of the great Civil War. Proceeding almost directly from his port of entry to Madison, Wisconsin, Andrew Burkee there enlisted for service during the Civil War as a member of the Fifteenth Regiment, Wis- consin Volunteer Infantry, with which command he served until the close of the war. Upon the completion of his military service Mr. Burkee came out to this section of Minnesota, which then was beginning to attract settlers in considerable numbers, and in 1866 homesteaded a quarter of a section of land in Urness township, Douglas county, and proceeded to develop the same. He built a log house on his claim and following his marriage in the fall of 1868 established his home there. He later built a more commodious log house and still later a very comfortable frame house, which still serves as the family home. Mr. Burkee was an excellent farmer and made many sub- stantial improvements on his place, at the same time enlarging his land hold- ings until he became the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres. He died on the home farm on December 8, 1915, and his widow survives him. She also was born in Norway, Carrie Moe, daughter of Ole Moe, one of the pioneers of this section of the state, and was living on the old Moe homestead in Douglas county at the time of her marriage to Mr. Burkee on November 7, 1868. To that union twelve children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch was the eleventh in order of birth, the others being as follow: Sophia, widow of Skak Quam, now living on a farm
AXEL BURKEE.
FARMERS STATE BANK. BRANDON.
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ncar the old Burkee homestead; George, who is living on the old homestead; John, a prominent resident of Roseau and register of deeds of Roseau county ; Alfred, cashier of the Peoples State Bank at Greenbush, this state; Clara, a teacher in the public schools at Little Falls, this state; Olena, a private nurse; Gena, who died at the age of twenty-eight; Ole, who is on the old homestead farm; William, a resident of Ritzville, Washington; Martha, a teacher in the public schools at Little Falls, and Nels, who died in infancy.
Axel Burkee was reared on the old home farm in Urness township, receiving his elementary education in the district school in that neighbor- hood, supplementing the same by a course in the Park Region Lutheran Col- lege at Fergus Falls, from which he was graduated in 1908. Following his return from college he remained on the farm for some time and then, in February, 19II, was made assistant cashier of the Farmers State Bank at Brandon. He presently was promoted to the position of cashier of that bank and has ever since occupied that position. Mr. Burkee is an "inde- pendent" Republican and has given close attention to local political affairs, now serving as justice of the peace in and for his home township and as treasurer of the village of Brandon.
On June 6, 1914, Axel Burkee was united in marriage to Alice Werner, of Brandon. Mr. and Mrs. Burkee have a very pleasant home in Brandon and take a proper interest in the various social activities of their home town. They are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and take an earnest interest in the beneficences of the same, Mr. Burkee being one of the trustees of the church and active in all good works in the community in which he lives.
CARL A. SHOGREN.
Carl A. Shogren, one of the well-known and successful young farmers of Belle River township, Douglas county, was born in that township on March 30, 1885, the son of Charles E. and Matilda (Johnson) Shogren, who were born in Sweden and there received their education in the public schools. They came to the United States in their youth and were married in this country. Charles E. Shogren came to Minnesota with his parents and located in Douglas county, where he homesteaded one hundred and twenty acres of land. The parents, Andrew and Christina (Nystrom) Shogren, also settled in that county. The tract of land taken by Charles (14a)
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E. Shogren was a wild tract of timber land, and required much work to put under cultivation. There he built a small log and frame house and pro- ceeded to clear his farm. After having quite a tract of it developed, he sold the place and purchased eighty acres in Belle River township, to which he later added forty acres. There he made his home until 1899, when he moved to a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in section 23, which he had purchased some time before. This farm had some few improvements, but Mr. Shogren at once entered into the task of making his farm one of the ideal ones of the township. He built a fine new house, a good barn and other buildings, and there he made his home until 1912, when he retired from the active duties of the farm and moved to California.
Charles E. and Matilda Shogren were the parents of the following children : Selma, Carl A., Ellen, Amil, Emma, Herman, Victor, Olga, Albert and Joseph. Selma is the wife of Carl Hanson, a farmer of Belle River township; Ellen is the wife of Gust Matson, a farmer living south of Carlos village; Amil was united in marriage to Otava Davis, a teamster of Alexandria; Emma is the wife of Ole Fransen, of Spokane, Washing- ton; Herman married Bertha Swanson and lives on the old home place; Olga is the wife of Arthur Palmer and lives in California; Victor, Albert and Joseph are with their parents in California.
Carl A. Shogren received his education in the public schools of Belle River township, and grew to manhood on the home farm, where as a lad and young man he assisted his father with the work on the farm until he was married on April 24, 1911, to Anna Westlund, a native of Superior. Wisconsin, who had come to Douglas county with her parents at the age of ten years. August and Hannah (Christenson) Westlund were natives of Sweden and Denmark, respectively. Mr. Westlund is a carpenter and now lives at Dows, Iowa.
After his marriage, Carl A. Shogren and wife lived with his parents on the home place for one and one-half years. They then rented two hun- dred acres in Spruce Hill township, where they lived for three years. During that time they purchased eighty acres, which they later sold and are now the owners of one hundred and twenty acres of the old home farm and there Mr. Shogren is engaged in general farming and stock raising, in which he has been successful. He has no buildings on his farm, but is pre- paring to build a modern house as well as other substantial farm structures. He and his wife now make their home with his brother Herman. Mr. and Mrs. Shogren are active members of the Swedish Lutheran church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the community.
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DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
OLOF OLSON.
Olof Olson, deceased, was born in Sweden on February 4, 1846. He received his education in the public schools of his native country and there grew to manhood and was married. He continued to reside in the land of his birth until he was thirty-seven years of age, when, in 1883, he decided to come to America. On his arrival in this country, he came direct to Minne- sota, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 25, Sanford township, Grant county, to which he later added one hundred and twenty acres. This farm he developed and improved and engaged in gen- eral farming and stock raising, in which he was successful. He erected excellent buildings, set out a beautiful grove and made many other valuable and substantial improvements, which added much to the value and beauty of the place. This he made his home until the time of his death, on May 24, 1899.
Olof Olson was united in marriage, on August 5, 1883, to Ingred M. Olson, who was born in Sweden on May 30, 1859; her parents died there some years ago. To this union the following children have been born : Olof L., Amanda, Oscar, Nels and Ethel. Olof L. Olson was born on the old homestead in Sanford township, on September 17, 1884. He received his education in the public schools and grew to manhood on the home farm, where, as a lad, he assisted his father with the work. As a young man he decided to be a farmer and for some time before his father's death he farmed the place. Since the death of the father, he and his mother have improved the farm with more modern buildings and have in many ways added to the value of the place. He is now operating the farm and is engaged in gen- eral farming and stock raising, in which he has been most successful. Politic- ally, Olof L. Olson is independent, but has always taken an active interest in local affairs. He was married in 1915 to Effie Johnson, of Montana. Amanda Olson was born on March 31, 1886, and is now the wife of Peter Jenson, a well-to-do farmer of Lien township. Oscar Olsun was born in 1888 and died in 1889. Nels E. Olson was born on May 28, 1891, and is a student in the Gustavus Adolphus College, and Ethel is also a student in that college.
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