USA > Minnesota > Grant County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 66
USA > Minnesota > Douglas County > History of Douglas and Grant counties, Minnesota : their people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 66
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
Claus P. and John Adrianson own and operate the old homestead place. carrying on general farming and stock raising, each owning eighty acres. John Adrianson married Mary Johnson. Claus P. Adrianson has remained unmarried.
JOHN N. HOGSTROM.
John N. Hogstrom, one of the prominent residents of Douglas county and a successful farmer of Moe township, was born in Sweden on November 16, 1839, the son of Nels and Christine (Olson) Johnson, who lived there all their lives, the father being there engaged in farming. They were the par- ents of eight children, Christine, Mary, Nels, John, Ole, Johannes, Kari and Betsy.
John N. Hogstrom received his education in the public schools of
671
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
Sweden and there grew to manhood. In 1866 he came to Minnesota and located in Goodhne county, where he resided for one year. He then went to Minneapolis, where he remained for one year, after which he came to Douglas county, and located in Moe township, homesteading his present farm of one hundred and fifty-eight acres, and now has one of the well- developed farms of the township. There he was engaged in general farm- ing and stock raising until his retirement from the activities of farm life in 1896.
John N. Hogstrom was united in marriage to Betsy Peterson and to that union eight children were born, Nels. Christine, Matilda, Emma, Selmer, Lena, Inga and Jolin. The mother of these children died in 1906 and Mr. Hogstrom later married Mary Benson. The family are members of the Swedish Lutheran church and have long been prominent in the social and religious life of the community. Mr. Hogstrom served for years as a mem- ber of the board of trustees of the local church society. Politically, he is a Republican and has served as school clerk.
During his active life, Mr. Hogstrom was the owner of a saw-mill, in La Grand township, which he operated for twenty years. He sold the prop- erty in 1904. He also was the owner at one time of a store building in Lowry, which he sold in 1906.
JOHN E. RAINES.
John E. Raines, one of the best-known and most substantial farmers of Grant county, proprietor of a fine farm in Lawrence township, of which township he formerly was supervisor, president of the Farmers Co-opera- tive Creamery Company at Wendell and in other ways actively identified with the general public and industrial life of that community, is a native of the neighboring "Hawkeye" state and spent some years of his life in Kan- sas, but has been a resident of Minnesota since 1900 and has found condi- tions here very much to his liking. He was born on a farm in Mills county, Iowa, April 24, 1872, son of James T. and Lucinda ( Rickabaugh ) Raines, the former a native of Missouri and the latter of Ohio, who had moved to Iowa with their respective parents in the days of their youth, had married there and many years later, in the spring of 1904, came to Minnesota and settled in Grant county, where they are still living, now making their home in the pleasant village of Wendell.
672
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
James T. Raines was born in Missouri on November 8, 1847, son of John and Elizabeth ( Williams) Raines, the former of whom also was a native of that same state, son of Henry Raines, a native of North Carolina, probably of Scotch-Irish descent, who emigrated to Missouri at an early day in the settlement of that state and settled in Pettis county, There John Raines grew to manhood and married Elizabeth Williams, establishing his home on a farm. During the bloody border warfare that marked that region during the days preceding the Civil War, along in the middle fifties, John Raines's wife was murdered by a gang of "border ruffians" and in 1856, following that tragic occurrence, John Raines, with his three motherless children and his father and mother, Henry Raines and wife, moved up into Iowa and settled in Mills county, John Raines making his home with his parents until his death a few years later, in April, 1859. Henry Raines became an active factor in the development of that community, serving for years as a member of the board of county commissioners, and there he spent the rest of his life, his death occurring in the eighty-third year of his age. To John and Elizabeth (Williamns) Raines three children were born, James T., father of the subject of this biographical sketch; Mary, who mar- ried James Miller and lives at Malvern, Iowa, and Taylor, who lives at Concordia, Kansas. In Mills county, Iowa, James T. Raines married Lucinda Rickabaugh, who was born in Ohio on November 24, 1852, daugh- ter of Isaac and Lucinda (Dubodway) Rickabaugh, both natives of that same state, who in 1864 moved to Iowa and settled in Mills county, where Isaac Rickabaugh became a farmer and landowner and where both spent the remainder of their lives, Isaac Rickabaugh dying in 1872 and his widow surviving him until 1895. They were the parents of nine children, of whom Mrs. Raines was the last-born, the others being as follow: John, who died years ago; Louis, also deceased; Rachel, who married Job McMillan and died in Ohio; Elizabeth, who married Samuel Masters and died in Iowa; Isaac, who lives in Arkansas; Sarah, who married A. W. Raines and died in Iowa: Milton, who died in Nebraska, and Dudley, who died in Mills county, Iowa.
Following his marriage James T. Raines settled on a farm in Mills county. Iowa, and there made his residence for a few years, at the end of which time, in 1871, he went to Kansas and homesteaded a farm in Cloud county, where he presently established his home, moving there with his wife and their infant son in the latter part of 1872, and there he made his home for about sixteen years, at the end of which time he returned to Mills county, Iowa, and there made his home until the spring of 1904, when he
673
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
sold his farm and came up into Minnesota, settling in Grant county. He bought a farm of two hundred acres in Stony Brook township and there made his home until in October, 19144. when he retired from the active labors of the farm and he and his wife moved to Wendell, where they are now living and where they are very comfortably situated. James T. Raines is a Republican in his political affiliations and fraternally, is connected with the Masonic order. He and his wife are members of the Christian church and their children were reared in that faith. There are six of these children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being as follow : May, who married M. E. Thiel and lives at Wendell; Carrie, who died when about four years of age; Olive, who married U. W. Hammaker and lives at Great Falls, Montana : Frank, a farmer of Lawrence township, Grant county, and Alice, who married R. B. Hosford and lives at Wendell.
John E. Raines was hut an infant when his parents moved to Kansas and was a well-grown lad when they moved back to Iowa. His schooling thus was received in the schools of both those states. Reared to the life of the farm, he early became a valued assistant to his father in the labors of the farm and was thus engaged until after his marriage in January, 1900, in the spring of which year he came up into Minnesota and established his home in Grant county. He bought a quarter of a section of land in Law- rence township and there made his home until the death of his wife three years later, after which he made his home with his parents on their farm nearby and remained there until their retirement from the farm and removal to Wendell, since which time he also has made his home in the village. In addition to operating his own farm, to which he has added by purchase until he now is the owner of a fine place of three hundred and twenty acres, Mr. Raines also is managing his father's farm and is doing very well. In addition to his general farming he is giving considerable attention to the raising of pure-bred Shorthorn cattle and Poland China hogs and has quite a herd of both, about twenty registered cattle and more than fifty of a more ordinary strain and seventy-five or eighty hogs, selling many of the latter for breeding purposes both in his immediate locality and in the territory covered by his numerous shipments. In addition to his farming operations, Mr. Raines gives close attention to the general business affairs of his neigh- borhood and has been the president of the Farmers Co-operative Creamery at Wendell since the organization of that flourishing industry in 1912. Mr. Raines is a Republican and gives a good citizen's attention to local political affairs. For four years he served as a member of the board of supervisors
(43a)
674
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
in Lawrence township; for eight years was a member of the school board in that same township and for three years has been a member of the school board at Wendell. He is a member of the Presbyterian church and in his fraternal relations is a member of the Masonic order and of the Modern Woodmen of America.
It was on January 4. 1900, in Mills county, lowa, that John E. Raines was united in marriage to Rhoda F. Hammaker, who was born in that county, daughter of John Hammaker and wife, early settlers of that con- munity, and who died on July 3, 1903, leaving two children, Edith, born on February 17, 1902, and James, June 25, 1903.
GILBERT HANSON.
Gilbert Hanson, a well-known and successful farmer of Erdahl town- ship, Grant county, was born at Benson, Swift county, Minnesota, in 1875, the son of Peter and Carrie ( Bjornson) Hanson.
Peter Hanson was born in Norway in 1843. the son of Hans and Ingra Erickson, also natives of Norway, who spent all their lives in their native country, where Peter Hanson continued to live until 1868, when he came to the United States, locating in Wisconsin, where he remained for two years, at the end of which time he came to Minnesota and located in Swift county, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres of land near Benson. There, in 1871, he married Carrie Bjornson and there he made his home until 1875, when he came to Grant county and took a homestead of eighty acres in sec- tion 14 of Erdahl township. He built a small log house and at once began the task of breaking the land, using a team of oxen to do his work. Many were the hardships he endured during the first few years of his residence on the homestead. the first crop on the place being destroyed by the grass- hoppers. In time, however, Mr. Hanson became prosperous and became the owner of four hundred acres of excellent land. There he was actively engaged in his work as a farmer and stockman until some few years ago, when he retired from the active operation of the place, but still resides on the farm.
To Peter and Carrie Hanson have been born eight children, Hans, Gilbert, Albert, Ida, Nettie, Palma, Anna and Thora. Hans is engaged in general farming and stock raising at Woodworth, North Dakota. Albert is on a homestead in Canada. Ida is the wife of Randolph Mahla, a well-
675
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
known farmer of Evansville township, Douglas county. Nettie married William Anderson of Minot, North Dakota. Palma is the wife of Frank Goodwin of Noonan, North Dakota. Anna is at Minot, North Dakota. and Thora is at home with her parents. For years Mr. Hanson served as a member of the school board.
Gilbert Hanson received his education in the public schools of Erdahl township. In 1899 he was united in marriage to Anna Johnson and engaged in farming for himself by renting a part of his father's farm, and is now operating the whole place of four hundred acres. He is engaged in gen- eral farming and stock raising and has been quite successful. Mr. and Mrs. Hanson are the parents of four children, George, Myrtle, Avis and Ethel. They are members of the synod branch of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Mr. Hanson has been active in local affairs and is now assessor of his town- ship. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company at Erdahl.
PETER N. BREVIG.
Peter N. Brevig, of Stony Brook township, Grant county, was born in Norway, January 2, 1856, a son of Nels N. and Margaret Brevig, both natives of Norway, who, in 1867. brought their family to America, locating in Winneshiek county, Iowa, where they spent five years; then, in 1872, came to Minnesota, the father securing one hundred and sixty-one acres of land in Stony Brook township, Grant county, which he developed into a farm on which he and his wife spent the rest of their lives. Five children were born to them, namely: Carrie, who is the wife of James Woodworth; Nels. next in order of birth: Julia, the wife of Henry Olson, of Aastad; Peter N., the subject of this sketch, and Andrew, deceased.
Peter N. Brevig spent his early boyhood in Norway. He had little chance to attend school, for he was compelled to work hard when a boy on his father's farm. He came with the family from Iowa to Grant county and has since lived on the home place, which he now owns and which he has kept well improved and under a high state of cultivation. He has been quite successful as a general farmer and stock raiser, and has erected good buildings and set out a large grove.
In 1881 Peter N. Brevig was married to Olena Severson, who was born in Norway in 1866, and to this union one son was born, Nels, born in 1882, who grew up on the homestead. He married Mary Hanson and now lives
676
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
in North Dakota. He and his wife have two children, Olive and Harold, the latter of whom lives with his grandfather.
Peter N. Brevig is a Republican, but has never aspired to public office.
OLE N. BERGAN.
Ole N. Bergan, one of the careful and persevering farmers of Stony Brook township, Grant county, was born on April 22, 1857, in Norway, in which country his parents lived and died, and where he grew up and was educated in the common schools. In 1876 he came to the United States, locating in Iowa where he remained until 1879, when he came to Minne- sota, locating at Evansville, the next year, 1880, pre-empting eighty acres in section 18 of Stony Brook township, Grant county. He has been a hard worker and has managed well. Prospering, he added more land to his orig- inal holdings until he now has a valuable farm of three hundred and seventy acres. Mr. Bergan is a Republican, but has never aspired to public office.
In 1884 Ole N. Bergan was married to Ingeborg Ericksson, who was born in Norway in 1835, from which country she came to Minnesota. She is a sister of Jens Pletan, who is mentioned in another part of this work. To Mr. and Mrs. Bergan three children have been born, namely: Nils. born in 1885, lives on a farm in Stony Brook township, married Mary Lund and has one son, Oris; Gurna, born in 1887, who lives at home, and Edwin, born in 1889, who is also with his parents.
WILLIAM R. BAKER.
William R. Baker, a well-known merchant at Osakis, was born in Albert Lea, Minnesota, September 1I, 1875. His father, Charles E. Baker, was born in Pennsylvania and his mother, Maria (O'Connor) Baker, was born in Ohio.
Charles E. Baker came to Minnesota when a young man and settled on a farm near Albert Lea, in Freeborn county, where he lived for several years engaged in farming. In 1895 he removed to Todd county, six miles northwest of Osakis, where he lived on a farm until his death, which occurred in 1912. He was the father of three children, Arthur R., William R. and
.
677
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
Nellie O., the latter of whom died in 1915. Mr. Baker was a supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church. In politics he affiliated with the Repub- lican party.
William R. Baker was educated in the public schools of Austin and worked on the farm with his father until 1895, at which time he began farm- ing for himself, in Gordon township, Todd county. In October, 1912, he removed to Osakis and entered into partnership with Swore & Olson in the general merchandise business, the style of the firm being Swore, Olson & Baker. On January 1, 1913, he sold his interest in this business to Mr. Swore and on May 10, 1913, he entered a partnership with Anderson Broth- ers, in the hardware and implement business, the style of this firm being Anderson Brothers & Baker. Mr. Baker is an active and aggressive young business man and the firm with which he is associated is doing a successful business in a general line of hardware and farm implements, enjoying a very gratifying patronage among the people of the town and surrounding country.
William R. Baker married Clara S. Stolcop, daughter of L. E. Stolcop, and to this union four children have been born, Inez, Russell, Erma, who died young, and Wallace. Mr. Baker attends the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically, he affiliates with the Republican party. His lodge mem- bership is with the Woodmen.
JOHN O. BERG.
The late John O. Berg, for many years one of the leading agriculturists and esteemed citizens of Elbow Lake township, Grant county, was born in Norway on October 10, 1850. His parents spent their lives in that country and there he grew up and when a young man emigrated to the United States, first locating in Illinois, later coming to Minnesota and locating in Goodhue county, whence he moved to North Dakota, where he remained until com- ing to Grant county. He took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Elbow Lake township and developed the same into a good farm. Prospering, he added one hundred acres to his original tract. He made substantial improvements and carried on general farming and stock raising with success.
On November 7, 1886, John O. Berg was married to Annie Falla, who was born in Norway, May 5, 1863, a daughter of Anders and Martha (Tor-
678
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
gesson) Anderson, who were born, reared and married in Norway, where the father's death occurred in 1878. His widow and children came to Minnesota in 1885, locating in Grant county. The mother spent her last days at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Berg, where her death occurred in 1894. she then lacking but one month of being seventy-four years of age.
The following children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Berg: Ole, Anna, Thomas, Albert, Josephine, Julia, Lila, Myrtle, Nels and Edith Amy, the latter of whom died on February 15, 1910, at the age of three years and three months.
John O. Berg was a Republican and was for some time a member of the local school board. His death occurred on November 15, 1909.
WILLIAM SCHMIDT.
William Schmidt, a successful farmer of Leaf Valley township, Doug- las county, was born in Germany on June 26, 1859, the son of Frederick and Augusta Schmidt, also natives of Germany, who came to the United States late in life and spent their last days in the home of their son, William Schmidt. They were the parents of two children, William and Rica, the latter of whom married Charles Schmidt, of Alexandria.
William Schmidt received his early education in the public schools of Germany and also attended school for a while in the United States. On coming to this country, as a young man, he located in Dodge county, Wis- consin, where he worked for five years as a farm hand. He then, in 1871, came to Minnesota and homesteaded a farm of eighty acres in section 34 of Leaf Valley township, Douglas county. He at once built a small log house and proceeded to the clearing of his land. The task was a hard one and he endured all the hardships of the pioneer life, using oxen to do his work. In time the farm was developed into a well-cultivated tract, and Mr. Schmidt became a successful and prosperous farmer. He later added to his original farm and is now the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of well-improved land. He built a fine home on the place and made that his home for twenty years, engaging in general farming and stock raising, in which he was quite successful. He is now living on one of his farms in section 36, where he has lived for the past fifteen years, and is actively engaged in the farming of one hundred acres, his sons farming the balance of his land.
679
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
In 1870 William Schmidt was united in marriage to Helen Brueske and to this union the following children have been born: Charles, Christina, Robert, Agnes, William, Helena and Alfred. Charles Schmidt married Anna Schoenick and is engaged in farming in Leaf Valley township. Chris- tina is the wife of Gust Schoemick, a farmer of that same township. Robert married Amelia Schultz and lives in Alexandria. Agnes is the wife of Gust Bitterman, a farmer of Milton township. William married Anna Sweesh and is farming a part of his father's place. Helena is the wife of Richard Schulz, a farmer of Leaf Valley township, and Alfred is at home with his parents.
William Schmidt is a Republican, has served as a member of the board of supervisors of the township for the past twenty-five years, and was formerly a member of the school board in district No. 23. The family are members of the Lutheran church, of which Mr. Schmidt is a deacon. He is a stockholder in the Leaf Valley creamery.
CARL HERMAN SWENSON.
Carl Herman Swenson, an enterprising farmer of Holmes City town- ship, Douglas county, was born in Sweden on August 8, 1862, a son of Swen and Johanna ( Gustavson) Swenson, both natives of Sweden, whence they came to America in 1864. After living two years in Dekalb county, Illinois, and eight months in Red Wing, Minnesota, they came to Douglas county in 1867, taking up as a homestead the northwest quarter of section 32 in Holmes City township, all prairie land. The father broke the sod and improved the place in general, building a house in which his son, Carl H. Swenson, still lives, the same being the second dwelling the elder Swen- son built after coming here. His death occurred on that farm on Decem- ber 13, 1887. His widow survived until October 5. 1893. The father, Swen Swenson, was twice married and was the father of eleven children. His first wife died in Sweden. To that union nine children were born, namely : Sven N., Johanna, Christina, Carlina, Andrew and three who died young. The two children by his second marriage were Gustav Alfred, and Carl Herman.
Carl H. Swenson was two years old when his parents came to America. He grew up on the farm and remained with his parents the rest of their lives. He has continued to operate the homestead, keeping it well improved
680
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
and under a high state of cultivation, and now owns two hundred acres, including the old homestead. He has six acres of woodland near the vil- lage of Holmes City.
Mr. Swenson has never married. He was three times road boss and has also been a member of the school board. He belongs to Oscar Lake Lutheran church.
LOUIS BENSON.
Louis Benson, one of the well-known and successful farmers of Rose- ville township, Grant county, was born in Sweden, on May 6, 1866, the son of Ben and Caroline Benson, also natives of Sweden, where the mother died in 1880 and the father about 1887. Of their eight children, Louis was the only one who came to the United States.
Louis Benson was but three years of age when he went to live with his grandparents, and there he was reared on a farm. When twenty-three years of age, in 1889, he came to the United States and located in Ford county, Illinois, where he worked in a brick yard for two years, after which he worked, as a renter, on the Sullivan estate, which comprised many acres of rich Illinois land. In 1903 he came to Minnesota and purchased one hun- dred and twenty acres of land in section I of Roseville township, Grant county. At the time Mr. Benson assumed possession of the farm it was run down and the buildings were in a dilapidated condition. New buildings have been erected and farm developed in excellent shape. Mr. Benson takes much interest in local affairs and has served as a member of the school board. He is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church.
HALBERT H. EVJU.
Halbert H. Evju, a well-known farmer of Brandon township, Douglas county, was born in Norway, April 22, 1860, a son of Herband and Gernel Evju, both natives of Norway where they grew up and married and estab- lished their home on a farm, the father owning a small tract of land there, on which his death occurred, after which the widow brought some of their children to Minnesota, where hier son Halbert H., the subject of this sketch, had previously located, in Douglas county, whither he came twenty-four
681
DOUGLAS AND GRANT COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
years ago. Here his mother's death occurred on October 7, 1914, at the age of seventy-eight years. Her children were Halbert H., Osta, Gulek, Ole. Herband and Hilda, the latter of whom died in 1913.
Halbert H. Evju grew to manhood in Norway and came to America in 1880, landing at Boston. He came on direct to Minnesota and worked for a short time in Renville county, then went to Wisconsin, where he remained a year or two, after which he returned to Minnesota and settled in Douglas county, where he has since remained. After renting land three years he bought one hundred and sixty acres in 1889, in section 22 of Brandon township, and there he has since carried on general farming and stock raising, making many important improvements on the place in the meanwhile, including the building of a large, modern barn in 1915. Mr. Evju is a stockholder in the Brandon creamery and elevator.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.