USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 51
USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 51
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L. H. PIKOP.
L. H. Pikop is of Norwegian birth and ancestry. He was born in Norway, February 6, 1878, a son of Herbrand and Martha (Rustand) Pikop, both natives of Norway. The family came to Minnesota in 1879 and were among the early settlers in Grant county. The father entered a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Elbow Lake township, put up buildings and made the improvements on that land and there made his home for the rest of his life, his death occurring October 12, 1909. The children in this family are: Ole, L. H., Knute, Gilbert, Gena, Mabel. The father was a member of the United Lutheran church.
The subject of this sketch was educated in the public schools of Elbow
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Lake township and at the Minnesota Normal School and Business College at Minneapolis. After completing his school studies he came to Wendell and was employed as a clerk in the store of P. O. Floan for about a year. In 1902 he, with E. A. Dybdal and S. S. Skinnemoen started the general merchandise business of the Dybdal, Pikop, Skinnemoen Company and the business has been conducted. by that firm since.
In 1911 L. H. Pikop and Annetta Dybdal were united in marriage. Mrs. Pikop is a daughter of Asle Dybdal, of Wendell. Martha Harriet is the only child by this marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Pikop are members of the United Lutheran church. He is a Republican.
OLE G. OLSON.
Ole G Olson, the well-known miller at Alexandria, was born in Sweden on March 9, 1860, a son of Ole Grus Olson and Anna ( Erickson) Olson, both natives of Sweden, the former born on May 17, 1832, and the latter in 1835. The Olsons came to America in 1870, coming direct to Minne- sota. The elder Olson located a homestead of government land of one hundred and sixty acres, five miles east of Alexandria, in Douglas county. He put up buildings for a residence and farm purposes and improved the land, which was a wild and uncultivated tract at the time of settlement. In time he had a splendid farm and a good home, in which he continued to live until 1912. He was the father of four children, Bertha, Ole G., Anna and William. Mr. Olson was a member of the Swedish Lutheran church and was affiliated with the Republican party.
The junior Ole G. Olson received his education in the public schools of Alexandria township, Douglas county, and worked on his father's farm until he was twenty-five years of age. In 1885 he married and bought a part of the old homestead and began farming on his own account, working on that farm for about two years. About 1887 he removed to Alexandria and there worked at the carpenter trade until 1892, when he returned to the farm and resumed farm work. In 1903 he sold the farm and returned to Alexandria and took up his residence there. He left his family there while he went to Ogema, Becker county, and there engaged in the flour and feed business, for about two years. In 1905 he disposed of his business in Ogema and for several years thereafter was engaged in the carpenter and contract work at Alexandria. In 1912 he bought an interest in the roller
MR. AND MRS. OLE G. OLSON.
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mills of Atwood Brothers & White at Alexandria and has been engaged in that business since that time, the milling plant now being known as that of the Alexandria Milling Company, of which company Mr. Olson is the president and manager.
In 1885 Ole G. Olson was married to Lottie Anderson, a daughter of N. J. Anderson, of Alexandria township, Douglas county, and to that union six children were born, Nellie, Eddie, Sadie, Carl, Chester and Cornelia. The mother of these children died on January 10, 1903, and three years later, in 1906, Mr. Olson married Helen A. Anderson, sister of his deceased wife. To this union one child has been born, Tolcatt. Mr. Olson is a mem- ber of the Swedish Baptist church and is at present a member of the board of trustees of the local congregation. He has served as secretary of the congregation for over twenty years. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party.
OLE T. GERJORD.
Ole T. Gerjord, a well-known and substantial farmer of Pomme de Terre township. Grant county, is a native of the kingdom of Norway, born at Telemarken on March 18, 1853, son of Toleff Halvorson and Helga Evenson, natives of that same district, who had grown up there, married there and there reared their family. Toleff Halvorson was a farmer and landowner and he and his wife were the parents of twelve children, nine sons and three daughters, who were left orphaned when the subject of this sketch, the youngest of the family, was thirteen years of age. After the death of his parents, Ole Gerjord made his home with his elder sisters and in 1867, when he was fourteen years old, came with his sister, Sigrid, and one of his brothers to America, the trip being made on a sailing vessel which was seven weeks in making the passage. Upon landing they made their way west and settled on Jefferson Prairie, in the neighborhood of Be- loit, Wisconsin, where Ole Gerjord began working on farms and where he remained for four or five years, at the end of which time he moved to Trempealeau county, in that same state, and was there engaged at farm labor for twelve years, or until about 1884, about the time of his marriage, when he came over into Minnesota and bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres of school land in section 4 of Pomme de Terre township, Grant county, where he ever since has made his home. When Mr. Gerjord took possession of his place it was wild prairie land, wholly unimproved,
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and his first effort at improvement was the erection of a log house on the site of his present comfortable home. There he established his home and began to break the soil and to bring it under cultivation. As he prospered in his farming operations he gradually added to his holdings until at one time he was the owner of four hundred and forty acres, but he later sold off all but the quarter section on which he continues to make his home and which he has improved by the erection of a comfortable residence and modern farm buildings, long having been regarded as one of the most pro- gressive farmers in his neighborhood. In addition to his general farming Mr. Gerjord has given considerable attention to the raising of high-grade live stock and has done very well. In his political affiliations he is a Repub- lican and for six years has served as school director in his district.
It was in 1884, about the time that he came over into Minnesota, that Ole T. Gerjord was united in marriage to Aslaug Halvorson, who also was born in Norway, a daughter of Ole Halvorson, who also settled in Pomme de Terre township about 1884, and to this union six children have been born, namely: Theodore, who died at the age of four years; Henry, who lives at home and is the owner of a farm in Pomme de Terre township; Hilma, who married Martin Brekke and lives in that same township; Ida, at home, and Oscar and Viola, also at home. The Gerjords are members of the Hjerdal Lutheran church and take a warm interest in the various bene- ficences of the same, as well as in all neighborhood good works.
KNUTE WAUGH.
Knute Waugh, a successful farmer and a well-known resident of Lien township, Grant county, was born in Fillmore county, this state, on May 19, 1859, the son of Harbum and Tilla Waugh, natives of Norway, the former born in 1806 and the latter in 1812. They received their educa- tion in their native land, and there grew to manhood and womanhood and were married. They continued to live in the land of their birth until 1855, when they decided to come to America. Upon their arrival in the United States they came to Minnesota and settled in Fillmore county, where Mr. Waugh purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land, for ten dollars an acre. They remained residents of that county until 1878, when they came to Grant county, where Mr. Waugh bought one hundred and seventy-eight acres of land in Lien township at ten dollars an acre. This farm he
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developed and improved and here he made his home until the time of his death, which occurred in 1883. His widow died in 1884. They were the parents of nine children, Tilla, Sarah. Gene, Esther, Carrie, Belle, Ole, Harvey and Knute, of whom Sarah, Gene, Esther Ole and Harvey are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Waugh were active members of the Lutheran church and were held in the highest regard by all who knew them. Mr. Waugh always took much interest in local affairs and was ever ready to assist in any worthy cause that would tend to the advancement and the bet- terment of the township and the county.
Knute Waugh received his education in the public schools of Fillmore county and there grew to manhood on the home farm where as a young man he assisted his father with the work of clearing and developing the place. In 1878 he came to Grant county with his parents, and here settled in section 10, Lien township, and engaged in farming. He has been successful and is now the owner of two hundred and fifty-five acres of excellent land, all of which is under good cultivation and improved with substantial and modern structures. He con- tinued the life of a farmer and stock raiser, until 1915, when he retired to Barrett, where he lived a retired life after a useful and successful career. Mr. Waugh is identified with the Republican party and has long been active in local affairs. Being a man of broad experience and excellent judgment, his worth was recognized by the residents of his township and he served for many years as a member of the board of supervisors and for twenty years was a member of the school board. He was always a firm believer in the best of roads and the best of schools possible. He and his wife are active members of the Lutheran church, have always taken much interest in church work and have long been prominent in the social and the religious life of the community.
In 1881 Knute Waugh was united in marriage to Sarah Olson, who also was born in Fillmore county, this state, on September 2, 1857, the daughter of Ole and Ingeborg Flatastol, natives of Norway, who came to Minnesota in 1850 and settled in Fillmore county, where Mr. Flatastol engaged in general farming and spent the rest of his life there. He and his wife were the parents of four children, Annie, Sarah, Carrie and Ole. Annie is the wife of F. Felland, a well-known farmer of Fillmore county. Sarah is the wife of the subject of this sketch. Carrie became the wife of Henry Appelen, of Fillmore county. Her husband died some years ago and she now lives in Clark county, South Dakota. Ole is now deceased.
To Knute and Sarah Waugh the following children have been born :
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Tilla, Emma, Annie, Tina, Henry, Carl and Selma. Tilla is the wife of Wesley Beach, a prosperous farmer of Lien township. Emma married Car- los Laastuen, of Elbow Lake township. Annie is the wife of John Swenson, who is operating the home farm of Knute Waugh. Tina is the wife of Frank Nelson, a farmer of Lien township. Henry is on the old home- stead and Carl and Selma are at home.
NELS M. OTTERSON.
Nels M. Otterson, a well-known and successful farmer, of Elk Lake township, Grant county, was born in Steele county, this state, on March 27, 1875, the son of Amund and Johanna (Gunderson ) Otterson.
Amund Otterson was born in Norway on October 16, 1844, the son of Otter and Lispet ( Amundsdatter) Nelson, the former born on May 27, 1812, and the latter on June 12, 1817, and both of whom spent all their lives in their native country, where the father was engaged in farming. Amund and Johanna Otterson were educated in the common schools of Norway, and there were married in 1872. In his native country, Mr. Otterson worked on the farm and on the railroad. The same year of his marriage he and his wife came to Minnesota and located at Owantona, where they remained until 1882, when they came to Grant county, where Mr. Otterson purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in Elk Lake town- ship and has since made that farm his home. Since he first came here he has added forty acres to his original tract and is now the owner of two hundred acres. He has developed the farm and added all the present sub- stantial improvements. He and his wife are the parents of five children, S. O., Thomas, Nels M., Lauris. (deceased) and Annie. Mr. and Mrs. Otter- son are members of the Synod Lutheran church, and take much interest in church work. They have long been prominent in the social religious life of the community and have taken keen interest in the moral, as well as in the civic development of the county.
Nels M. Otterson received his education in the public schools of Elk Lake township. He was but seven years of age when his parents settled in that township and there he grew to manhood on the home farm. With the exception of three years during which he was engaged as a clerk in a store at Bartlett, he has devoted his life to farming in Elk Lake township and is now the owner of two hundred and forty acres, which he purchased
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in the spring of 1909, he having purchased his Uncle Nels Otterson's old home place. There he is engaged in general farming and stock raising, is interested in the raising of Shorthorn cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs and has met with much success both as a farmer and a stock raiser.
On September 16, 1905, Nels M. Otterson was united in marriage to Julia Peterson, who was born in Wisconsin, the daughter of Hans Peter- son, an early settler of Lien township, Grant county. To this union no children have been born, but Mr. and Mrs. Otterson have an adopted daugh- ter, Evyline Margaret. Mr. and Mrs. Otterson are active members of the Lutheran church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the community, where they are held in high regard by all who know them. Mr. Otterson has taken a keen interest in the civic life of the township and has served as a member of the township board of supervisors.
OLE OLSON SANNES.
Of the many farmers of Elk Lake township, Grant county, who have been successful in their work and have become well-known residents of the community, is Ole Olson Sannes, who was born on the farm where he still lives, December 9, 1870, the son of Thor and Ingeborg Olson, who were born in Norway. As a young man the father came to the United States and spent seven years in California, where he was engaged in gold- mining. He later located in Wisconsin, where he was married to Ingeborg Olson, who had come to this country with a brother, Lewis Hauge, about 1864. Thor Olson and wife continued to reside in Wisconsin until 1867, when they came to Minnesota and settled in Elk Lake township, Grant county, where Mr. Olson homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land, the farm being the one on which Ole Olson Sannes is now living. On that farm the father made his home until the time of his death, which occurred when the son, Ole, was but nine years of age. The other two chil- dren of the family were both named Helen, the first-born having died when she was two years of age. The second died at the age of thirty-five years. Thor Olson and wife were members of the Lutheran church and were active in the social and the religious life of the community.
Ole Olson was educated in the old school house, which was the first in the county. The school was of the most primitive kind and the instruc- tion received was in sad contrast to the advanced methods now in use
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in the township and the county; yet it was the best that could be afforded at that time, and it required much effort on the part of the settlers at that time to organize and establish that, the first institution of learning in the district. It is in that township that Ole Olson Sannes has since resided, with the exception of one year spent at Kensington, where he was in the restaurant business, and three years in Barrett. With these exceptions, he has devoted his life to farming and is now the owner of the old homestead of one hundred and sixty acres, as well as thirty acres near Barrett, eighty acres near Hoffman and one hundred and sixty acres in Williams county, North Dakota. The latter tract is one that his sister, Helen, homesteaded. The beautiful grove on the home place was planted by Mr. Sannes's mother, with the assistance of her two children, Ole and Helen.
On June 26, 1915, Ole Olson Sannes was united in marriage to Mrs. Mary (Johnson) Reed, daughter of Peter Johnson and to this union one child has been born, a son, John. The family are prominent in the social life of the community and take much interest in all that tends to the better- ment and the growth of the township and the county. In 1914 Mr. Sannes made a journey to Norway, where he visited the birthplace of his father and mother and viewed the scenery that was familiar to the childhood lives of his parents.
JOHN C. BETLAND.
John C. Betland, a well-known and successful farmer of Elk Lake township, Grant county, was born in Goodhue county, this state, on March I, 1866, the son of Christopher P. and Ingre (Lee) Betland, both natives of Norway. Christopher P. Betland came to the United States in 1861 and in that same year enlisted in the Third Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, enlisting from Goodhue county, where he had located on coming to this country. He was a musician and was a member of the regimental band. After a service of three years in the Civil War he returned to Good- hue county and in 1865 was there married to Ingre Lee, who had come to the county with her parents. Mr. and Mrs. Betland continued to reside in Goodhue county until 1867, when they came to their homestead in Elk Lake township. Grant county, where Mr. Betland had one hundred and sixty acres that he had entered in 1866. They were the second family to locate in the township, Ole Goodmanson being the first. The farm at that time was all wild land, which was later developed and improved until it became
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an ideal place. There Mr. Betland engaged in farming and stock raising for many years, and there he made his home until the time of his death. Mrs. Ingre Betland died when her son John C. was but five years of age. After her death Mr. Betland married Christina Anna Olson, a native of Nor- way, who still lives on the homestead. To Christopher and Ingre Betland were born three children, John C., Anna and Peter.
John C. Betland received his education in the public school of Grant county, attending in Elk Lake township the first school in the county. The educational advantages of that time were of the most primitive kind, and the greater part of Mr. Betland's education has been obtained since he entered the "school of experience." He grew to manhood on the home place, where as a lad and young man he assisted his father with the work on the farm, and came to his present farm of one hundred and twelve acres in 1891. This he has developed and improved and here he engaged in gen- eral farming and stock raising, in which he has been quite successful.
John C. Betland is a member of the Lutheran church and takes much interest in the services of the church. He is recognized as one of the pro- gressive farmers of the township and is held in high esteem by all who know him. He has always taken much interest in local affairs and has ever been ready to assist in all worthy undertakings having a tendency to add to the growth and the advancement of both the township and the county. He is a believer in intensive farming and in the most thorough cultivation of the soil and his farm is evidence of the methods of a prudent and successful farmer and stockman.
FLETCHER W. POWERS, M. D.
The subject of this sketch was born in Delano, Minnesota, September 25, 1872, a son of Melville J. Powers and Lucinda ( Weston ) Powers, the former born in Alliance, Ohio, and the latter in Foxcroft, Maine.
In 1854, while a young man, Melville J. Powers came to Minnesota and settled on a farm near Greenwood. In 1890 he removed to Minneapolis, where he lived for several years. A few years before his death he removed to Rockford, Minnesota, where he was living at the time of his death, which occurred in 1910. He was the father of three children : Lula, who married C. T. Walters and is now deceased; Nellie, the wife of E. E. Darrow, of Big Lake, Minnesota, and Fletcher W.
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Doctor Powers was educated in the public schools of Rockford and in the high school at St. Paul, Minnesota. After completing his preliminary studies he entered Hamline Medical College and was graduated from that institution in 1902. He came immediately to Barrett, opened an office and began the practice of his profession, and has continued here since. In 1914 he established a hospital at Barrett, known as the Powers Hospital.
In 1892 Dr. Fletcher W. Powers was united in marriage to Hattie B. Lewis, a daughter of William Lewis, of Rockford, Minnesota, and to this union three children have been born, Pearl, Ruth, Esther. In political mat- ters Doctor Powers affiliates with the Republican party and his only fra- ternal affiliation is with the Masonic order. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Minnesota State Medical Society and the Grant County Medical Society.
As a practitioner Doctor Powers stands high among the profession and he has the confidence of the community to an unusual degree. As a citizen he is a man of wide acquaintance and influence throughout the county. He is a man of pleasing manner, a broad-minded, public-spirited citizen ; and yet, withal, a man of modest mien.
THRON C. THRONSON.
One of the most painstaking and systematic farmers of Evansville town- ship, Douglas county, is Thron C. Thronson, who was born at Hudson, St. Croix county, Wisconsin, August 25, 1868, a son of Carl Frederick and Anna (Thorson) Thronson, natives of Norway, who came to this country in 1858, in the fall of that year settling in this part of Minnesota, where Carl Thronson spent the rest of his life and where his widow is still living.
Carl Frederick Thronson was born in Ringerike, Norway, June 17, 1842, and was trained to the trade of a shoemaker. On May 8, 1867, he married Anna Thorson and in the spring of 1868 he and his wife came to the United States and proceeded on out to Wisconsin, whence, in the fall of that year they came on over to this part of Minnesota and spent the winter of 1868-69 in Douglas county. In the spring of 1869 Mr. Thronson located a claim in the neighboring county of Grant and there established his home, remaining there until his retirement from the farm in 1900 and removal to the village of Evansville, where he spent the remainder of his life, his death occurring on July 28, 1916. Upon settling in Grant county
THRON C. THIRONSON AND FAMILY.
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in 1869 Carl Thronson took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Erdahl township. all wild prairie land, with the exception of a good grove. Indians were at that time numerous in this part of the state. Carl Thronson built a log house with a sod roof and dirt floor, and began in typical pioneer fashion. He had no team for several years. In order to get ready cash he worked on the railroad near Morris, also split rails and did shoe repairing. He farmed a few years with oxen. He persevered and prospered and bought more land, including one hundred and sixty-eight acres in Douglas county. He continued on the homestead place in Grant county until 1900, when, as noted above, he retired and moved to Evansville, where his widow is still living. His son, Otto, operates the original homestead in Grant county and his son, Thron C., the subject of this sketch, is in charge of the Douglas county farm. Carl Thronson for many years took an active interest in the affairs of his locality and served as assessor and also as supervisor in Grant county. He was a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church and his chil- dren were reared in that faith. His family consisted of twelve children, namely : Olive, who died at the age of one year; Thron C., the subject of this sketch; Ingvald, who is farming in Battleview. North Dakota; Christ- ian, who is a traveling salesman for a Minneapolis wholesale shoe house; Otto, who is farming in Grant county; Emil, who is engaged in the farm implement business at Kramer, North Dakota; Alma, the wife of David Davidson, of Battleview, North Dakota; Thora, who is the wife of Sivert A. Satterlee, a farmer of Evansville township; Hans, a wheat buyer at White Earth, North Dakota; Carrie and Anna (twins), who are at home with their mother, and Hjalmer, who is cashier of the First National Bank at Kenmare, North Dakota. A local newspaper in referring to the death of the late Carl Thronson said that Mr. Thronson was a model citizen. He was interested in public questions and wideawake to the importance of each. In referring to the funeral, which was conducted by the Rev. T. A. Sattre, the paper said that "the very large attendance bespoke the esteem in which the deceased was held."
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