USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 64
USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 64
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WILLIAM TORSTENSON.
William Torstenson, a well-known and successful farmer of Elk Lake township, Grant county, was born on the farm where he now lives on July 8, 1885, the son of Ole and Julia ( Sannesdatter ) Torstenson, the former of whom was born in Norway and the latter in the state of Iowa. In 1862 Ole Torstenson decided that he would come to America, and on his arrival here he came direct to Minnesota and located in Houston county. When he left his native country, his mother, Mary Olson, and his sister, Clara, accompanied him. While living in Houston county, Mr. Torstenson worked in the pineries in the winters and on the farms in the summers, for three years. Then in the spring of 1865 he and Hans Ansterson and Per Gran came to Grant county and he "squatted" on the tract of land in what is now Elk Lake township, where his son William is now living. Having located his claim, Mr. Torstenson returned to St. Cloud and filed his papers, return- ing then to the homestead tract, where he lived alone that winter. Upon his marriage the next spring he established his home there and continued to make that place liis home until the time of his death. The tract was for the most part wild prairie, with some timber. This was later cleared and developed, and there Mr. Torstenson engaged in general farming and stock raising, in which he was quite successful. The farm is nicely located on Lake Torstenson, named in honor of the pioneer who first settled there.
On April 19, 1867. Ole Torstenson was united in marriage to Julia Sannesdatter, the daughter of Anon Sannesdatter, who came to America, locating in Iowa, where he remained for a time, later coming to Minnesota
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and locating in Elk Lake township, Grant county, in the early seventies. He later moved to North Dakota, where he and his wife spent their last days.
Ole Torstenson always took an active interest in local affairs and had much to do with the early civic life of the township. He was one of the organizers of the township, was a member of the first school board and of the first board of supervisors and for twenty years served as chairman of the latter board. He was a member of the first jury in this part of the state. the court being held in Alexandria, and Knute Nelson, now United States senator from Minnesota, was the county attorney. He was also one of the organizers of the Lincoln Norwegian Lutheran church, of which he and his wife were among the most active, and prominent members. He was active in the organization of the first farmers' elevator at Hoffman and was the first president of the company, a position he held for many years. He was recognized as one of the most progressive farmers and a man of much busi- ness ability. During his active life he added to his homestead until he became the owner of seven hundred and thirty-nine acres of valuable land, all of which he developed and improved. His life was an active one and he accomplished much of value, not only for himself, but for his township and the county. He and his wife were the parents of four children, Anna, Tillie, Clara and William, all of whom are living. The mother of these children died in April, 1888, and the father died on January 24, 1913.
William Torstenson grew to manhood on the farm on which he has always lived, and received his education in the public schools of the town- ship and at Park Region Lutheran College at Fergus Falls. He attended the latter institution for three years and was graduated from the business department. Upon completing his school work he returned to the farm. and has devoted his life to general farming and stock raising.
On December 2, 1908, William Torstenson was united in marriage to Laura Jacobson, who was born at Hastings, in Dakota county, this state, daughter of John and Tillie Jacobson, natives of Sweden. To this union have been born two children, Florence and Grace. Mr. and Mrs. Torstenson are members of the Lincoln Lutheran church and are prominent in the social and religious life of the community.
William Torstenson has always taken an active interest in local affairs and has always assisted in such causes as had for their purpose the growth and upbuilding of the community. He was for seven years president of the Hoffman Grain Company, was one of the organizers of the Farmers Co-operative Mercantile Company and of the Farmers State Bank at Hoff-
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man, and a member of the board of directors of both concerns. Mr. Tors- tenson is now the owner of three hundred and sixteen acres of fine land. As was his father, he is regarded as one of the progressive men of the town- ship and has always stood for good roads and the best of schools. The first school house in the township, which was also the first in the county, was built on land donated by Ole Torstenson, who also assisted in the building of the same. The first teacher in the school was Mrs. Martha Sethney, who had the honor of having taught many of the present well-to-do and prom- inent people of the township and the county.
ELLEN ELLINGSON.
Ellen Ellingson, one of Grant county's best-known and most substan- tial farmers, proprietor of a fine farin in Stony Brook township, a director of the Farmers Elevator Company at Wendell and in other ways actively identified with the work of developing the best interests of his home com- munity, is a native of the kingdom of Norway, but has been a resident of Minnesota since he was three years of age and of Grant since he was twelve years, having therefore been a witness to and a participant in the develop- ment of this section of the state since pioneer days. He was born on a farm in the Sigdal district of Norway on July 2, 1865, son of Elling Nilson and Annie Ellenson, both natives of that same district, who came to the United States with their family in 1868 and came on out to Minnesota, locating in Houston county, where they remained until 1877, in which year they moved to Grant county, becoming pioneers in Stony Brook township, where they spent the remainder of their lives. In a biographical sketch relating to Nils Ellingson, elder brother of the subject of this sketch, presented else- where in this volume, there is set out in detail further particulars of the history of the Ellingsons in Grant county, to which the reader is respectfully referred in this connection.
As noted above, Ellen Ellingson was but three years of age when he came with his parents to this country and his early childhood was spent in Houston county, this state, where his elementary education was received. He was about twelve years of age when the family moved over into Grant county and his schooling was completed in the pioneer schools of Stony Brook township. Reared as a farmer lad he was from early youth a valued assistant in the labors of developing the homestead farm that had been
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entered by his father and upon growing to manhood's estate he continued to help operate the farm, later managing the same for his father, and finally, in 1890, bought the old home place, at that time consisting of two hundred and forty acres, and has since continued to own the same. After his mar- riage in 1897 he remodeled the house and has further improved the place until he has one of the most attractive farins in that neighborhood. As he prospered in his farming operations, Mr. Ellingson added to his land hold- ings until now he is the owner of five hundred and fifty-two acres. He has an excellent orchard and a very attractive grove on his place and his farm is cultivated according to modern methods. Mr. Ellingson is a director of the Farmers Elevator Company at Wendell. He is a Republican and dur- ing a considerable period of service as a member of the board of township supervisors served for some time as chairman of that board. He also for ten or twelve years served as a member of the school board and in other ways has given his intelligent attention to local civic affairs.
Mr. Ellingson has been twice married. It was in 1889 that he was united in marriage to Jennie Knutson, who died in 1892, leaving two chil- dren, Elmer and Emily, both of whom are at home. In 1897 Mr. Elling- son married Annie Jenson, who was born in Norway, daughter of Jens Lilleby and wife, and to this union seven children have been born, Joseph, Julius, Agnes, Edson, Loren, Marion and Raymond. Mr. and Mrs. Elling- son are members of the United Lutheran church and Mr. Ellingson is a member of the board of trustees of the local congregation.
OLE GULDBRANSON.
Few of the citizens who have come to Douglas county from Norway have succeeded better at agricultural pursuits than Ole Guldbranson, a well- known pioneer citizen of Holmes City township. He was born in Norway in 1843, a son of Guldbranson Olson and wife who lived and died in Norway.
Ole Guldbranson grew to manhood in his native land, where he attended the common schools, and there resided until he was twenty years of age, coming to America in 1863 and located at Madison, Wisconsin, where he spent a few years; then lived in various places, each move being westward, during which period he worked at many things. He reached Alexandria in 1871 and in that year took up a homestead-a quarter section in what is now Holmes City township, Douglas county, and he still resides on that
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land, which, through long years of persistent toil and careful attention, he has developed into one of the choice farms of his locality. Mr. Guldbran- son has been thrifty and has accumulated about one thousand acres, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale.
In 1871, at Alexandria, Ole Guldbranson was married to Lena Inge- bretson and to this union thirteen children have been born, of whom six are still living, Emma, Lauritz C., Ida, Mandt. Emil and Iver.
Lauritz (. Guldbranson grew up on the home farm in Holmes City township and received his elementary education in the local public schools. He then spent two years at Glenwood Academy and also attended two terms at Willmar Seminary. He worked on the home place during vacations, and after leaving school took up farming for himself, which he has continued to follow successfully. He owns a well-kept and productive place of one hundred and sixty acres in Holmes City township, on which he carries on general farming and stock raising. He is a member of the Lutheran church.
H. C. KERSTEN.
HI. C. Kersten, a well-known Grant county farmer, proprietor of a fine farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Elbow Lake township, where he makes a specialty of poultry raising, is a native of Iowa, born on a farm in Muscatine county, that state, April 30, 1863, son of Frederick and Hattie ( Pfluger ) Kersten, natives of Germany, the former of whom is still living in lowa and the latter of whom died in that state many years ago.
Frederick Kersten came to the United States about the year 1846 and in Iowa met and married Hattie Pfluger, who had come from Germany about that time. He became a farmer and landowner in Muscatine county, Iowa, and remained there until about 1867, when he moved to Poweshiek, same state, where he bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres and there made his home until 1884, in which year, following the death of his wife, he sold out and moved to Calhoun county, same state, where he bought a place of two hundred and forty acres, which he sold in later years and then returned to Poweshiek county, where he is now living, at the great age of ninety-five years, making his home with his daughter, Carrie. His wife died in 1883, at the age of forty-eight and he never remarried. They were mem- bers of the Christian church, among the founders of a church of that denom- ination in their old home community, and their children were reared in that
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faith. They were the parents of six children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth, the others being as follow : William. who died at the age of fourteen years; Carrie, who married Robert Raude- bush and is living in Poweshiek county, Iowa; Henry, who died at the age of twenty-two years; Emma, who died at the age of seven years, and Frank, who died at the age of two years.
H. C. Kersten was about four years old when his parents moved from Muscatine county, Iowa, to Poweshiek county, same state, and in the latter county he received his elementary schooling, remaining there until he was about eighteen years of age, when he accompanied his father to Calhoun county, where he started farming on his own account, renting farms for a few years and then buying a farm of eighty acres, to which he later added an adjoining "eighty". Mr. Kersten married in 1889 and continued on the farm until about 1894, when he sold his place and for some time thereafter was engaged in the cattle business, later moving to Kossuth county, Iowa, where he resumed farming and was thus engaged there until the spring of 1902, when he came up into Minnesota, locating in Grant county and buying a tract of one hundred and sixty acres in section 6 of Elbow Lake township. . where he ever since has made his home and where he has done very well. Upon taking possession of that place, Mr. Kersten found it only partly broken and with no buildings on it. He broke up the rest of the land, erected a dwelling and a good set of farm buildings, planted a grove. constructed fences and otherwise improved the place to suit his notion of a well-con- ducted farm, and is now very pleasantly and very comfortably situated. In
addition to his general farming Mr. Kersten has made somewhat of a specialty of poultry culture, keeping from one hundred and fifty to two hun- dred and fifty hens, and has sold as many as two thousand one hundred and sixty dozens of eggs in a year. his operations in this connection having fre- quently been the subject of mention in agricultural papers. Mr. Kersten also has engaged extensively in the raising of onions and in some years has raised as many as two hundred and fifty bushels of these. He is a member of the board of directors of the Hereford Telephone Company and in other ways has given his attention to the work of developing the interests of his home community. In his political views Mr. Kersten is "independent" and has given his services to the public in the capacity of clerk of his school dis- trict. By religious persuasion he is a member of the Church of God, a local organization, and is a member of the board of trustees of the same.
It was in 1889, in Iowa, that H. C. Kersten was united in marriage to
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Mollie J. Kincaid, who was born in Indiana, daughter of Benjamin Franklin and Sarah (Grose) Kincaid, the latter of whom died in Iowa and the former in Georgia, his native state. Mrs. Kersten died on February 21, 1915. She was the mother of six children, namely: Arthur, who died at the age of four months ; Harold, now a homesteader in Roseau county, this state; Merle, who died at the age of six weeks, and Bernice. Ozella and Opal, who are living at home with their father.
JOHN W. KLOOS.
The late John W. Kloos, for years one of Grant county's most substan- tial landowners, was born in Germany on August 1, 1849. His mother died in the Fatherland and after her death the father came to the United States and spent his last days in Carver county, Minnesota.
John W. Kloos received his early education in the public schools of Carver county and attended college for one year. Upon completing his schooling he entered the meat business in St. Paul, where he remained for some years. In 1883 he came to Grant county and purchased one hundred and twenty-eight acres of land, which he developed and improved and engaged in general farming and stock raising and was quite successful, eventually becoming the owner of twelve hundred and forty acres of land, nine hun- dred and sixty acres of which is still in the possession of the family. To the many substantial improvements that were made by Mr. Kloos, the family have added the more recent modern buildings on the place. John W. Kloos was identified with the Democratic party and always took much interest in local affairs. He was a man of prominence and influence in the county and because of his broad experience, his honest judgments and his ability, was often consulted in matters relating to civic affairs. He was a firm believer in substantial public improvements and favored all enterprises that tended to the betterment and the growth of the community.
On December 21, 1885, John W. Kloos was united in marriage to Huldah Schimmelpfennig, who was born in Germany on June 14, 1865, the daughter of Fred and Justina Schimmelpfennig, natives of Germany, who came to the United States in 1869 and settled in Wisconsin, buying a farm in Waupaca county, and there resided until 1876, when they came to Minne- sota and took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Macsville town- ship, Grant county. There they lived for some years and then retired to
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Herman, where the father died in June, 1904, and his widow in 1911. They were the parents of six children, Augusta, Wilhelmina, Carl Frederick, Bertha, Amelia and Hulda.
To Mr. and Mrs. Kloos seven children were born, Mary, Daniel, Elsie, Arthur, Hazel, Mabel and Elanore. The family are active members of the German Lutheran church, to which denomination John W. Kloos devoted many years of active service. The family have long been prominent in the social and the religious life of the community and are held in the highest regard by all who know them.
JOHN HOLING.
John Holing, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Brandon township, Douglas county, was born in that township on June 14, 1885, the son of Haagen and Anna ( Lillemoe ) Holing.
Haagen Holing came to America at the age of twenty-two years and located in Wisconsin, where he worked as a farm hand for some years. He then came to Minnesota and resided in Minneapolis, where he worked in a lumber yard until he came to Douglas county. On his arrival in this county he homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 33 of Brandon township and there he lived until the time of his death on February 8, 1907, at the age of sixty-four years. His wife had died on January 9 of that same year, at the age of sixty-five years. They were the parents of six children, ;Martin, Bertine, Nettie, Hannah, Anton and John, all of whom are living.
At the time Haagen Holing entered his homestead, the tract was wild prairie, without improvements. A log cabin was erected, and in this the family resided for several years. The nearest neighbors were four miles away. The land was broken with an ox-team and farming was done for some time with oxen. There were still numerous Indians in this district at that time and they caused the settlers considerable trouble. Mr. and Mrs. Holing were members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and assisted in the organization of the church at Brandon. Mr. Holing also took much interest in general local affairs and had much to do with the development and the improvement of the township and the county. For thirty-five years he served as treasurer of the township, always took keen interest in the success of the schools and was a member of the school board of school district No.
(42a)
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82, which he helped to organize. He assisted in the organization of the farmers' elevator at Brandon and had much to do with its success. As a general farmer and stock raiser he was quite successful and at the time of his death was the owner of four hundred acres of land.
John Holing received his education in the common schools of Brandon township and at Augsburg Seminary at Minneapolis. He was reared on the home farm, where as a lad he assisted his father with the many duties of a successful farmer. Upon completing his schooling he returned to the farm, having determined at an early age that the farmer's life was the one for him, and has ever since followed that vocation.
On September 8, 1905. John Holing was united in marriage to Ida Berg, a daughter of John Berg, a pioneer farmer of Brandon township, and to this union have been born six children, Elvira, Howell, Dagny, Ira, Bennie and Ruby. Mr. and Mrs. Holing are prominent in the social activities of the township and are highly respected.
A number of years ago John Holing went to Montana, where he home- steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land in Musselshell county. He proved his claim in 1911 and remained a resident of that state until 1914, when he returned to Douglas county, where he is now managing one hun- dred and sixty acres of his father's estate, there being successfully engaged in general farming and stock raising. Mr. Holing is a stockholder in the Brandon Creamery Company and in the Farmers and Merchants Union Ele- vator Company and is also a stockholder in the Peoples Bank at St. Paul. He and his wife are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church at Brandon and take a proper interest in church work.
L. J. DERBY.
L. J. Derby, one of Grant county's best-known and most substantial farmers. owner of a fine farm in Delaware township, former state boiler inspector for the district comprised in the counties of Grant and Traverse and for several terms a member of the board of supervisors in his home township. is a native son of Minnesota and has lived in this state all his life. He was born on a farm in the near vicinity of Cottage Grove, Washington county, this state, July 15, 1867, son of John L. and Frances B. (Van Slyke) Derby, both natives of New York state, who became early settlers in Grant county, where their last days were spent.
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John L. Derby was born in Herkimer county, New York, December 10, 1837. His parents were natives of that same state and many years ago moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where they spent their last days. Upon reaching manhood's estate John L. Derby came to Minnesota and located at Cottage Grove, in Washington county, where he married Frances B. Van Slyke, who also was born in Herkimer county, New York, March 30, 1841, daughter of Nicholas and Polly (Petra) Van Slyke, also natives of that same state, of Dutch descent, who moved to Wisconsin about 1858 and about ten years later came over into Minnesota, locating at Cottage Grove, where they lived until their retirement from the farm and removal to Hastings, where they spent their last days, both living to ripe old ages. After his mar- riage John L. Derby began farming on his own account, continuing to live in the Cottage Grove neighborhood, and at one time lived on Governor Ramsey's farm. He later bought land in that vicinity and there made his home until 1884, in which year he moved to Grant county, retaining, how- ever, his farm in Washington county, and bought an improved farm of eighty acres in Delaware township, on which he spent the rest of his life. Mr. Derby ever took an active interest in civic affairs and while never himself an aspirant for public office, was helpful in the campaigns of his friends. The enactment of the thresher's lien bill into a law was largely due to his personal influence, for he went to St. Paul during the time of the session of the Legislature that considered that bill and labored indefatigably in its behalf. He was appointed state boiler inspector and for two terms served in that important capacity. Mr. Derby's widow survived him some years, her death occurring on March 26, 1916. They were the parents of four children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the third in order of birth, the others being Ellen M., who married J. F. Cassels and lives at Veteran, Alberta; William R., manager of a "pop" factory at Herman, and John R., who is butter-maker in the creamery at Herman.
L. J. Derby grew to manhood on the farm on which he was born in the vicinity of Cottage Grove, receiving his schooling in the schools of that vil- lage, and early learned the trade of a stationary engineer. In 1884 he moved with his parents to Grant county and in 1889 bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres in Delaware township and proceeded to develop the same, operating it from his home on his father's farm. In 1894 he was mar- ried and the next year was appointed state boiler inspector for the district comprised in Grant and Traverse counties, which position he occupied for two years, 1895-96. Two years later, in 1898, he erected a good set of
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buildings on his quarter section in Delaware township, planted a grove, other- wise improved his place and has ever since resided there, he and his family being very pleasantly and very comfortably situated. In addition to his gen- eral farming, Mr. Derby has given considerable attention to the raising of live stock and has done very well. Some time ago he bought an additional "eighty" and now has two hundred and forty acres of well-cultivated land. In his political affiliations Mr. Derby is a Republican and has served his town- ship as supervisor during several terms and also as a school director.
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