USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 4
USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 4
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Lake, where he died on March 19, 1897. His widow, who was born on June 1. 1822, died on December 29, 1906. They were the parents of ten children, Ofaus, Joseph, Anna, Ole, Margaret, Ingeborg, Josephine, Tosten, Sarah and Halvar, the latter of whom died in infancy.
Alexander Norman was always very active in church work and for a time after coming to the United States taught in one of the church schools. Hle mastered the English language after coming to this country and became fluent in its use. He mingled much in polities in Dane county and especially after the beginning of the Civil War. He was a strong advocate of the principles of the great Lincoln, and espoused the same with an eloquent tongue and with much ability.
(laus Norman received his early educational training in the public schools of Dane county and was later sent to the Norwegian Lutheran school for further study. He attended high school at Madison and later was graduated from the Norwegian Lutheran College at Decorah, lowa. After his graduation from Concordia Seminary at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1869, he was stationed at a little church at St. Paul and had thirty stations throughout the state of Minnesota. During his work at that time he assisted in the organization of many new churches, among these being the one where he is now stationed at .Ashby. He was unmarried at the time and in addi- tion to looking after his thirty charges he studied medicine, under Doctor Wiegmann of St. Paul and under Doctor Baily of Sioux City. He began the practice of medicine in 1870, and continued the same in connection with his ministerial duties, his labors as a physician all being performed in the name of charity and without compensation.
In 1870, the Rev. Olaus Norman was united in marriage to Britha Holum, and to that union five children were born, Augustus, Theodore. Halvor. Anna and Caia. The Rev. Theodore Norman is a minister of the Norwegian Lutheran church. as is the Rev. Halvor Norman. After the death of his first wife, the Rev. Olaus Norman married Elisa Wilson, and to that union three children were born, Susie, Marie and Bertinus. Upon the death of the mother of these children, Mr. Norman married Mrs. Koefod, widow of Magnus Koefod. Mr. Norman was for eight years, pastor of one of the churches at St. Paul and moved to Ashby for a rest. At the request of the people there he presently assumed charge of the pastoral work and now has three charges. Mr. Norman has always taken active exercise and was the first man to ride a bicycle in this section of the state and was the first minister to drive an automobile, a vast contrast to his traveling on
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snow shoes during his pastorate in the northwestern part of Minnesota. where he was termed "the path-breaker," when the winter time came on and the travel was difficult.
HON. OLE AMUNDSON.
The Hon. Ole Amundson, well-known and well-to-do retired real-estate man and dealer in farm machinery, of Evansville, former member of the Minnesota state Legislature, former commissioner of Douglas county, former sheriff of that same county and since pioneer days actively identified with the work of developing the resources of this section of the state, is a native of the kingdom of Norway, but has been a resident of this country since he was eighteen years of age. He was born on August 31, 1844. son of Amund and Anna Olsen, also natives of Norway and farming people in their native land, who came to the United States in 1862 with the six younger members of their family of twelve children and after four or five years of residence in Wisconsin came to Minnesota, settling in Douglas county, where they spent the remainder of their lives.
Upon coming to this country in 1862 Amund Olsen settled in Rock county, Wisconsin, where he remained until 1867, in which year he came out to this section of Minnesota with his family, settling on a homestead tract of one hundred and sixty acres in Urness township, Douglas county. one of the very earliest settlers in that section. He built a log house on his homestead tract and there established his home, presently becoming well settled, an influential and substantial pioneer farmer. In 1871 he built a new house and there spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in 1892, he then being eighty-two years of age. His wife had preceded him to the grave many years, her death having occurred in 1869, at the age of fifty- five years. They were the parents of twelve children, of whom six came to this country, namely: Bertha, who married Kittle Koltveit and both she and her husband are now deceased; Agnes, who married Swen Winger and now lives in Wisconsin; Ole, the subject of this biographical sketch; Pauline, who married L. Ingarbretson and died at Janesville, Wisconsin; Simon, who is farming the old homestead place in Urness township, and Anna, who mar- ried Ole Bakke, of Otter Tail county, and is now deceased.
Ole Amundson was about eighteen years old when he came with his parents to this country and had attained his majority before they moved over
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into Minnesota. Upon settling in Douglas county he became a valuable aid to his father in the work of developing the homestead farm in Urness town- ship and also took an active part in the civic affairs of the pioneer com- munity, being one of the early clerks of that township. He then was appointed as a member of the board of appraisers of school lands in Douglas county and after serving one term in that office was elected, in the fall of 1872, sheriff of his home county, taking office on January 1, 1873, serving one term of two years, at the end of which period of service he decided to advance his studies and with that end in view entered the La Crosse Com- mercial College at La Crosse, Wisconsin, one of his teachers there having been Professor Cashale, now senator from North Dakota. On his return from college Mr. Amundson stopped at St. Paul and made a contract with the Waltry-Wood Machine Company to handle that company's harvesting machines in Douglas, Stevens, Grant and Big Stone counties and established his headquarters at Morris, with branch houses at Herman and Evansville. The first harvesting machines ever seen at Herman were delivered there by him and the first self-binder ever seen in Douglas county and the first trac- tion engine in Evansville also were shipped in by him. In 1876 Mr. Amund- son was made the nominee of the Republican convention in this legislative district for representative and was elected in the ensuing election, serving one term as a member of the lower House of the General Assembly. Meanwhile he continued right along with his farm-machine agency and held his original territory for seven years, at the end of which time, the country rapidly becoming more settled, he was relieved of Big Stone and Stevens counties, but continued covering the other two counties for many years. At the same time Mr. Amundson was doing quite a business in the real-estate way and at one time was the owner of more than twelve hundred acres of land, six hun- dred and seventy-two acres of which he still owns and which is being profit- ably farmed for him. In December, 1914, after many years of continuous service in the farm-machinery line, Mr. Amundson retired from active busi- ness and has since then been taking things somewhat easier. In addition to his public service above mentioned, Mr. Amundson served Douglas county as a member of the board of county commissioners during the period of 1883-86 and was also president of the Evansville village council for two terms. He is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and for years has taken a warm interest in the affairs of the same.
On November 15, 1875, Ole Amundson was united in marriage to Carrie Hoveren, of near Battle Lake, Otter Tail county, who died in 1884, and to
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that union five children were born, Anna Viola, Joseph Sylvester, Clara Adelia and two who died in infancy. Anna Viola Amundson, now general secretary for the Young Women's Christian Association in the state of Washington, with headquarters at North Yakima, was formerly financial secretary for the local branch of the Young Women's Christian Association at Seattle and just before the great war broke out in Europe in 1914 had visited the countries of Germany, France, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Nor- way and Scotland in behalf of the general association and upon her return to New York in September, 1913, took a further course in Young Women's Christian Association work which qualified her for the advanced position which she now occupies in that association. At the age of nineteen years Joseph S. Amundson went to Arizona with a view to bettering his state of health by a change of climate and for a year studied law with an attorney at Flagstaff. He then took the civil-service examination and was appointed to the forestry service, with headquarters at Flagstaff, where he remained thus connected for a year, at the end of which time he was engaged as private secretary to David Bobbitt, a millionaire at that place, later becoming credit man in a large department store operated at Flagstaff by the Bobbitt interests. A few years later that concern started a large store at Williams, fifty miles west of Flagstaff and J. S. Amundson was made manager of the same, a position he occupied until the spring of 1916, when the Bobbitts made large investments at Kingman, Arozina, and transferred him to the latter place, as manager of their interests there. He married Lillias Mar- shall and to that union two children have been born, Elliot Marshall and Joseph Sylvester. Clara Amundson married Walford Forsgreen, of Doug- las county, now a grocer at Dillon, Montana, and has three children, Frances, Wallace Osborn and Eleanor.
FRED C. RAITER.
Fred C. Raiter, well-known and substantial dealer in meats at Alexan- dria, successor to the business which his father, Christopher H. Raiter, now retired, built up in this section during pioneer days, and who also has large farming interests, besides interests in banking and other forms of business hereabout, is a native son of Minnesota and has lived here all his life, a continuous resident of Alexandria since the days of his infancy. He was born in Rochester, this state, July 15, 1869, son of Christopher H. and
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Anna ( Reier ) Raiter, both natives of Germany, who had come to America with their respective parents, married in Minnesota and later located at Alexandria, becoming influential factors in the development of that place during the early days and who are still living there, very comfortably situ- ated.
Christopher H. Raiter was born in Prussia on July 9, 1842, son of Got- lieb and Gusina ( Shefler ) Raiter, who came to the United States with their family in 1864 and settled in Olmsted county, this state, Gotlieb Raiter taking a homestead there on which he established his home and where he spent the rest of his life. His widow, who survived him some years, went to the state of Washington after his death and there she spent her last days. They were members of the Lutheran church and their children were reared in that faith. There were five of these children, of whom Christopher H., the only present survivor, was the third in order of birth, the others being August, Peter, Gertrude and Gustine. Christopher H. Raiter preceded his parents to this country, he having come here in 1862, when twenty years of age, landing at the port of New York penniless, or, as he himself puts it, with twenty-five cents less than nothing at all. He presently secured a place working in a market garden near the city for his board and seven dollars a month and saved money on the job. After awhile his wages were raised to ten dollars a month and that, he says, spoiled him, for he was emboldened presently to ask for more, was refused and quit his job, having a difficult time finding another; which circumstance, he says, was a good lesson in letting well enough alone. In the fall of 1863 Mr. Raiter made his way out to Minnesota and located at Rochester, where he began working with a threshing crew and when the threshing season was ended went to work in a butcher shop at Rochester, he having had some experience in the butcher trade in his native land. In 1868 he married and in May, 1869, started in the butcher business on his own account at Oata, where in a few months he built up a flourishing business. He then was advised by a friend, Mr. Phelps, to transfer his business to the then new town of Alexandria and. following that advice, started out with his wife and their first-born child, the subject of this sketch, for the latter place. At that time there was a meat market in the town, located on the present site of Raiter Brothers' ( sons of Christopher H. Raiter ) shoe store. Christopher H. Raiter bought that meat market, paying for the same the sum of one thousand dollars, put an addition to the building the market occupied and in that addition housed his family. That was the beginning of Christopher H. Raiter's suc-
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cessful business career in Alexandria. He remained in the meat business until a few years ago, when he sold his place to his son, Fred C., who is now conducting the same along the same successful lines, the business still being carried on in the brick building erected by the elder Raiter, the first brick business building erected in Alexandria. Christopher H. Raiter also erected the first brick residence in Alexandria, where he and his wife are still living and where they are very pleasantly situated. In addition to the extensive business interests retained by Mr. Raiter in Alexandria, he is the owner of a fine farm of three hundred and sixty acres near town, is the vice-president of the First National Bank and continues to deal in real estate. a business in which he has been largely interested. He organized the first bank in Alexandria, now the First National Bank, and has helped organize and is an officer in seven other banks in towns throughout this section of Minnesota and in North Dakota. One of his latest enterprises is the erec- tion, in connection with Claus J. Gunderson, of a fine new brick business block in Alexandria. Christopher H. Raiter and his wife are active mem- bers of the Congregational church and were among the leaders in the work of erecting that congregation's beautiful edifice in 1892. Mr. Raiter has ever been an active leader in the cause of temperance hereabout and his strong personal influence has ever been directed in behalf of good citizen- ship.
It was in 1868, at Rochester, that Christopher H. Raiter was united in marriage to Anna Reier, who also was born in Germany, and who had come to this country with her parents, Christopher Reier and wife, the family first settling in Illinois and later coming to Minnesota. To that union seven children were born, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first- born, the others being Emma, Tina, Lytta, Christie, George and Frank.
Fred C. Raiter was but an infant when his parents moved from Roches- ter to Alexandria and he grew to manhood in the latter city, receiving his schooling in the public schools there and early taking a part in the manage- ment of his father's extensive meat business. When twenty-eight years of age he bought the meat market from his father and has since been very successfully conducting the same. He also operates his father's farm of a half section near town, devoting the same chiefly to the feeding of cattle for his own market. In addition to this he has other business interests and is a member of the board of directors of the First National Bank of Alex- andria and a stockholder in the Alexandria Manufacturing Company. Mr. Raiter is a thirty-second degree Mason, a Knight Templar and a noble of
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the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, past master of the blue lodge at Alexandria; a member of the chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons, at Sauk Center; a member of the commandery, Knights Templar, at Morris, and a member of the consistory, Scottish Rite Masons, and of the Shrine at Minneapolis. He also is past noble grand of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows at Alexandria and in the affairs of all these fra- ternal organizations takes a warm interest.
Fred C. Raiter was married to Lily Watters, who was born in Hud- son township, Douglas county, daughter of James Watters, a veteran of the Civil War and a pioneer of Hudson township, now living retired at Alexandria, and to this union two children have been born, Gertrude and Frederick. Mr. and Mrs. Raiter are members of the Congregational church and take an earnest interest in the various beneficences of the same, as well as in all community good works, helpful in promoting all proper causes hereabout.
REV. TORBJORN A. SATTRE.
The Rev. Torbjorn A. Sattre, of Evansville, is a native son of Minne- sota. He was born on a pioneer farm in Salem township, Olmsted county, April 13, 1857, son of Ole S. and Ingeborg (Gjesme) Sattre, natives of the kingdom of Norway, who came to the United States with their respec- time parents in 1844, were married near Cambridge, Wisconsin, in 1854 and in 1856 came to Minnesota, settling in Olmsted county, where they spent the remainder of their lives, honored and useful residents of that community.
Upon moving to Olmsted county Ole S. Sattre bought three hundred and twenty acres of "Congress land," paying for the same one dollar and twenty-five cents an acre. During the first summer of their residence there he and his wife lived in their covered wagon and in the fall Mr. Sattre built a log house, in which he established his home and in which he lived until he was able to replace the same by a fine two-story frame house in 1865, hauling the lumber that entered into the construction of the same from Winona. He developed his farm in fine shape and became recognized as one of the most substantial farmers thereabout. Besides farming he also took part in politics and served one term in the state Legislature as rep- resentative from his district. On that pioneer farm he and his wife spent the remainder of their lives, his death occurring on January 27, 1912, and
REV. T. A. SATTRE.
KARL O. SATTRE.
MRS. GURINE SATTRE.
INGEMAN S. SATTRE.
MARGARET C. SATTRE.
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hers, February 7, 1912. They were the parents of eight children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the second in order of birth and all of whom are still living save Sjur. the first-born, the others being as follow: Ole, a retired farmer, living at Rochester, this state; Andrew, of Minneapolis, a collector for the Minneapolis Threshing-Machine Company; Lewis, who is farming the old home farm in Olmsted county: Adolph, a farmer in Dodge county, this state: Mattie, who lives with her brother, Lewis, on the old home farm, and Inger, wife of David Rivenes, a hardware and clothing merchant at Glendive, Montana.
Torbjorn A. Sattre was reared on the paternal farm in Olmsted county. receiving his elementary education in the district school in the neighbor- hood of the same, and in 1874, when seventeen years of age, entered the classical department of Luther College at Decorah, Iowa, from which he was graduated in 1880, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the fall of that same year he entered the Minnesota State University and after one term there, in the spring of 1881, began teaching in a Minneapolis paro- chial' school and was thus engaged for a year, at the end of which time, in the fall of 1882, he entered Luther Theological Seminary at Madison, where he pursued his theological studies for two years. In the fall of 1884 he entered the theological department of Capitol University at Columbus. Ohio, and was graduated from that institution in 1885. On October 25 of that same year he was ordained to the ministry and was straightway assigned to the Norwegian Lutheran parish centering at Evansville in his native state and has ever since been in charge there, a period of more than thirty years.
The Rev. T. A. Sattre arrived at Evansville to begin his pastoral duties on November 3. 1885, and on the following Sunday, November 8. at Alex- andria, preached his first sermon as pastor of the parish over which he was destined to exert so great an influence in the years to come. That parish at that time comprised the charges at Evansville, Alexandria, Nelson and Salem, in Douglas county, and Parkers Prairie, Folden and Leaf Lake, in Otter Tail county, and these seven charges were served by Mr. Sattre for seven years, at the end of which time he was relieved of the charges in Otter Tail county and for eight years thereafter he served the other congrega- tions, the charges at St. Peter and Erdahl being added to the same. At the end of that period the congregations at Alexandria and Nelson called another pastor and since that time Mr. Sattre has continued to serve the congregations at Evansville, St. Peter and Solem, in Douglas county, and (4a)
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Bethel church at Erdahl, in Grant county. Reverend Sattre has been a member of the United Norwegian Lutheran church since its formation in 1890. He has served on some of its most important committees, has served as president of the Fergus Falls district of the same, and is now its finan- cial secretary. For more than twenty years he has been a member of the board of directors of Concordia College at Moorhead, and has helped that institution rise from its one-time humble state to its present excellent stand- ing as a school with more than four hundred students.
On April 15, 1891, the Rev. T. A. Sattre was united in marriage to Gurine Hellekson, who was born in Olmsted county, this state, May 17. 1865, daughter of Christen and Saave (Skogsmark ) Hellekson, natives of Norway, who were married in Olmsted county and who spent the remainder of their lives there. honored and useful farming people. Christen Hellekson was the owner of a fine farm of two hundred and forty acres and farmed the same until his retirement in his old age. His wife died in 1901 and he thereafter made his home with his children until his death in April, 1905. They were the parents of ten children of whom seven are living, Mrs. Sattre the third. Those living are as follow: Henrik, a farmer in Brookings county, South Dakota : Eline, parochial school teacher at Ruso, North Dakota; Elias, a farmer in Hettinger county, North Dakota; Albert, a farmer in McLean county, North Dakota; Oscar, pastor at North Yakima, Washing- ton., and Anna, wife of O. P. Frogner, a merchant at Hayfield, Minne- sota.
Reverend and Mrs. Sattre have three children: Karl Orlane, born on July 24, 1892, who was graduated from St. Olaf College at Northfield in June, 1915, and is now assistant cashier in the Kenmare National Bank at Kenmare, North Dakota: Ingeman Sanford, a student in the junior class at Concordia College at Moorhead, and Margaret Constance, born on April 17, 1905, a child at home.
April 15, 1916, was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the marriage of Rev. and Mrs. Sattre, and on that day the four congregations consisting of Evansville, St. Peter. Solem and Bethel gathered in the Evansville church to celebrate the day with the pastor and family, whom they all hold in the highest esteem. Reverend Skyberg. of Aastad, addressed the audience, con- sisting of more than three hundred people, using as his text Psalm 119, 65: "Thou hast done well with Thy servant, Lord, according to Thy word." He spoke at some length about the well-doing of the Lord through the entire life: in our sorrows as well as our pleasures. He emphasized the thought that the Lord cares especially for his servants, and concluded his address
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by presenting Reverend and Mrs. Sattre with some beautiful and costly gifts and a bag containing two hundred and thirty silver dollars from the con- gregations he has so faithfully served.
For more than thirty years Reverend Sattre has served these congre- gations, always using his best efforts and striving to uplift the spiritual and moral life as well of the members as non-members of his congregations. He has had only that one aim in his work, the salvation of the poor and heavy laden, so that they may enjoy God's richest blessings in this earthly life and when death calls them they may live an eternal life in the glorious kingdom of God. And the best of good-will towards their pastor and his cheerful and pleasant wife has always been thoroughly manifest.
NELS M. EVENSON.
Nels M. Evenson, president of the First National Bank of Osakis, was born in Pope county, Minnesota, February 22, 1873, son of Johannes and Ane (Langvandet ) Evenson, the former of whom was born in Trondhjem, Norway, and the latter at Snaasen, Norway.
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