USA > Minnesota > Freeborn County > History of Freeborn County, Minnesota > Part 46
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Early Events. The first death to occur in the township was that of Mrs. Christian Bohle in January, 1859. She had been living in section 15. The first marriage in the town took place July 6, 1859, being that of Frederick Fink and Frederica Weiser. The first birth within the limits of the town was September 14, 1857, being that of a daughter of John and Harrietta Ruble, in the old log house in section 12.
Industrial Enterprises. At an early day John Ruble erected a shop on his place in section 12. In the year 1868, Anson Hanf erected on section 11 a 16x20 frame shop in which he did black- smithing until 1876, when he made it a part of his barn. Later, in 1878, he built a new shop. He was Albert Lea's second black- smith. Several parties, in the latter part of the sixties, burned lime in section 12 with moderate success
RICELAND TOWNSHIP.
This is one of the eastern townships of Freeborn county, lying in the second tier from the north, as well as the eastern county line. Its contiguous surroundings are as follows: Geneva town- ship on the north; Moscow on the east; Hayward on the south, and Bancroft on the west. It is a full congressional township of thirty-six sections or square miles, containing about 23,040 acres. A large marsh originally extended across the southwest corner, which the Indians said was originally a lake of great depth and large. It was also said that the water, or the greater portion of it, suddenly ebbed away and disappeared, leaving boats and canoes on dry land, as if by magic. The marsh has recently been ditched. The soil of the town is generally dark loam; but on the knolls there is a marked tendency to clay. A good acreage
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is under a high state of cultivation. The low lands are brought into use as hay land and the crops raised are as abundant as valuable. Rice lake is one of the larger lakes of Freeborn county. The name originated among the Indians from the abundance of wild rice in this locality. The lake lies in the northeastern part of the township.
The old village of Fairfield was located in this township. Lerdal is a small settlement centering about a creamery. The cemeteries are located in section 9 and the Danish Lutheran Church is also in the same section.
Early Days. The following article was prepared by D. G. Parker, and read by him to the old settlers at their annual reunion in 1877, as follows: "Ole C. Olson and Ole Hanson first settled this town in August, 1856. The former put up a log house in the same month, and opened the first farm in the latter part of that season. Samuel Beardsley, a blacksmith, commenced business in the same year, and was the first mechanic. George P. Bracket was the first merchant, and opened business in 1857. In 1859 Amy Baker taught in a private house the first public school. The first schoolhouse was built in 1864. In 1858 the Rev. Mapes held the first religious services. The Methodists, in 1859. established the first organization. Stephen Beardsley and Sarah Croy were the first parties married, George P. Bracket performing the cere- mony. In April, 1858, the first child was born, in the person of Caroline Olson. The first death was that of Mr. Shortledge, who was frozen in April, 1857. Isaac Baker was the first chairman of supervisors, and a Mr. Snyder the first clerk. The town was organized at the January session of the county board in 1858." Among others who were prominent early settlers the names are remembered a few who will be briefly mentioned: Samuel A. Beardsley and John Hull, his son-in-law, together with their fam- ilies, came by ox team from Illinois, brought considerable stock, and settled on the south side of Rice Lake. Beardsley remained until about 1860, when he removed to Wisconsin, and from there went to Otter Tail county, Minnesota. Hull remained a short time and went to Wisconsin. Ole Halvorsen, Hans Larson, and Ole Christianson were the first Norwegians to settle in the town, and with them Bottler Winjum came. He located in section 31. In 1858 a number settled in the township. among whom were Charles Williams. - - Brackett, Joseph Neil. Nels and James Snyder, Nick and John Reims, John Bell. and Thomas Walaska. About this time. or possibly before, quite a family of pioneers put in an appearance in the persons of Deacon Isaac Baker. his wife, Phoebe, and their children, William H., Charles E., Mar- garet N .. Amy J., Rhoda. and Sarah E. Baker. They settled upon section 20. Soon after this party had got settled, Nathan P. Amy
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and Charles Bartlett, from the eastern states, arrived, the former bringing the first team of horses. William L. McNish was another early settler.
Early Events. The first birth in the township occurred April 23, 1858, being that of Caroline Oleson. She was a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ole C. Oleson, who lived upon a farm in section 30. The earliest marriage of which there is any record took place January 1, 1858, and joined the future destinies of Stephen Beardsley and Sarah Croy. It has been stated that the first death which occurred within the limits of Riceland was that of Martha Hull, in October, 1857. The next death recorded was that of Sarah Baker July 18, 1859, from a stroke of lightning. The first school taught in the district was held at the residence of Harry Beardsley, in section 16, in the summer of 1859, Amy Baker being the instructor. The first religious services held in the township were presided over by the Rev. Phelps, in the spring of 1857, at the residence of Samuel Beardsley. The township of Riceland originally bore the name Beardsley, in honor of an early and prominent pioneer; but it was finally changed by the residents to Riceland, suggested by the name of the lake.
Early Industries. The first blacksmith shop in the town was opened in the fall of 1857, in a little log hut in the northern part of section 15, by Samuel A. Beardsley. John Peterson, a Nor- wegian, in 1880, erected a one-story, 18x20 foot, frame building in section 18, and opened a shop for shoeing, repairing and black- smithing generally. In 1857, buildings were erected on the south shore of Rice lake, or rather a shanty, by Samuel A. Beardsley, who moved machinery from Rice county and commenced operat- ing a steam sawmill. The establishment continued turning out lumber for about one year when it was removed to Itasca, when the machinery was first moved from Faribault, Rice county. In 1880, N. P. Bartelson, a native of Denmark, erected a structure, put in two run of stones, and attaching it to a sixteen-foot winged windmill, commenced grinding feed, etc. The stones are what is here termed hardheads, and were dug from the ground in the vicinity of the mill, and manufactured into buhrs by Mr. Bartel- son. . The establishment cost about $300.
Township Organization. As stated elsewhere, this township was originally known under the caption of Beardsley. The first town meeting was held at the residence of Samuel A. Beardsley. It has been said that the first officers were: Supervisors, Isaac Baker, chairman; Charles Williams, and James Harris; clerk, James Snyder.
Cemeteries. Riceland cemetery is located in section 9, town- ship 103, range 20. The first trustees are Peter Peterson and
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C. U. Christenson. It was surveyed by Frank H. Fisk. It was filed for record March 17, 1900. The Advent cemetery is located in the same section.
SHELL ROCK TOWNSHIP.
The township bearing this name is one of the southeastern of Freeborn county, lying contiguous to Iowa on the south, London township on the east, Freeman on the west, and Hayward on the north. It is a full congressional township, containing 23,040 acres. Shell Rock is mostly a prairie town. The surface is generally rolling, but there are no hills or bluffs sufficiently abrupt to be detrimental to agriculture. The soil is a light loam, well adopted to the prevailing mode of agriculture. The name of the town was taken from that of the river, Shell Rock, which flows through the eastern part from north to south.
The township has a number of cemeteries. A Lutheran Church and cemetery are in section 12, and a Methodist Episcopal Church is in section 29.
Early Settlement .. This township witnessed the first actual settlement ever made in Freeborn county. The story of this settlement by Ole Colbjornson Livdalen is told elsewhere.
In September, 1855, John Stanley, a native of the New Eng- land States, but then from California, took a claim on the cor- ner of sections 19, 20, 29 and 30. He brought with him quite a herd of cattle; but as he had but little very poor hay, it is claimed that all of the stock died. Stanley remained three or four years. He then went east and brought back with him the Smiths, Hugh John and James A., natives of Canada, who both took claims. D. R. Young and Ed. Ripley came about this time also.
Then in the spring of 1856, came the next settler, in the person of William Beighley, who had been here the year previous, accom- panied by his brother Jacob, T. J. Gordon, and E. Maybee. In April, 1856, he again made his appearance upon the scene, and bought the claim which Livdalen had settled on. In May his brothers, Jacob and S. P. Beighley, came with teams, bringing William's family, and they at once selected claims, the former in sections 32 and 33, and the latter in 33 and 28. With this party came J. B. Gordon, who selected his claim in section 30, west of the river ; but when his father, T. J. Gordon, a native of Pennsyl- vania, arrived in the fall and took up a claim in section 28. In the summer of 1856, Rev. Walter Stott came. A little later in the season-1856-James Allen came in and settled in section 30, on the town line, and remained for about one year when he disposed of it to Peter Beighley, and finally went to
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Tennessee. The latter named also took a claim in section 32, where he lived until the time of his death, in 1872 or 1873. Andrew J. Lang also came in 1850. Chris. Oleson, a Norwegian, late from Pennsylvania, located on a farm in sections 31 and 32, in June, 1856. He was a blacksmith by trade. The McCalls lived here a time before settling in Nunda.
In the spring of 1857, Warren Barber, a native of New York, came and settled within the limits of the township, in section 29. Other Beighleys came the same year.
But in the meantime the northern portion of the township began its evolutions toward civilization, and by the time of the last mentioned arrival it counted a goodly number as a neighbor- hood. Early in the spring of 1855, William Rice came from Wis- consin and commenced the settlement in the northern part of the township by taking a claim in section 8. In the spring of the following year William went to St. Nicholas, in Albert Lea town- ship, and started a hotel there under the sign of "St. Nicholas Hotel." He was mail carrier for the village, and on one of his trips, December 3, 1856, he got lost, and after wandering about for three days brought up at Plymouth; but he was so badly frozen that he died in a few days. This was the second death in Freeborn county. Almost immediately following Rice, a little colony from Wisconsin made their appearance and swelled the Shell Rock settlement, arriving in June, 1855. This party con- sisted of Gardner Cottrell and family, George Gardner and fam- ily, Madison Rice, with his mother and her family. C. T. Knapp and family, and a couple of others whose names have been for- gotten. The first mentioned, Gardner Cottrell, stopped for a time on the Rice place, which he soon after took for himself and remained upon it for about one year, when he opened the first store in Shell Rock village. George Gardner located upon section 6, where he remained until 1880, when he went to Northwood. Madison Rice, with his mother, settled in section 8, and here remained until after the war, when he took up his goods and chattels and removed to Wisconsin. Mr. Knapp was not behind the rest of the party, and immediately after his arrival took a farm in section 36, just over the line in Albert Lea township. Here he lived until 1877, when he removed to the village of Shell Rock, and in the year following opened a meat market. The Andrews family, among whom may be mentioned Oliver, William, Clark and James, settled on and over the line in Hayward.
The next spring-1856-F. L. Cutler and John Smith came, arriving in May. Butler was an eastern man, coming from Iowa to this place, and bought the claim settled by Gardner. He finally, after service in the Minnesota First during the war, sold
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his place and went to Freeborn, and from there drifted down to Missouri. He was quite a sport and jockey, and took great delight in fast horses. John Smith took land on both sides of the town lines of Shell Rock and Freeman. About this time came Joseph Marvin, John Wood, and John Eddy. In May, 1856, Anthony C. Trow, a native of New Hampshire, came from Mitchell county, Iowa, and after looking over the country finally located on sec- tion 17. He selected a quarter of the same section for his brother, Elisha, who arrived the same month and settled, remaining a couple of years and then moved away. Joseph Marvin and his son-in-law, Daniel R. Young, natives of Massachusetts, arrived on the 10th day of July, 1856, and selected claims. At about the same time, came Aszel Young, Uriah Grover, Henry Cottrell, Henry Thurston, Henry Lacy, John Corning, and Robert Bud- long, who all secured homes. On July 11, 1856, A. H. Bartlett made his appearance, and the village of Shell Rock, through his energy and capable management, sprung into existence. He became one of the prominent public men of Freeborn county. E. P. Skinner and Mr. Beattie arrived in early days, and taking a good deal of land, commenced speculating and continued for many years.
In 1857, A. M. Burnham arrived and he erected the first bridge across the Shell Rock river. With him came a number from Albert Lea. Willard F. Marvin also came during this year. The population grew very rapidly and the country settled with a good class of inhabitants. An idea of the ingress can be formed from the fact that in 1857, 100 votes were cast at the general election. Geo. Hyatt came this year also.
Other settlers who were associated with the early history of the township were: D. S. Hoyt and Morris Marshall, who came in 1862; O. C. C. Howe, came in 1864; John E. Skinner, in 1865; Peter J. Miller, in 1866; V. Gillrup, in 1867; W. H. Rathnell, in 1871; James Abbott, in 1872; Alonzo Alford, in 1876; T. A. Clow, in 1877, and Rev. Daniel H. Palmer in 1860.
Early Events. Early in the spring of 1854, the first child born in the county was a daughter to Ole Colbjornson Livdalen. An- other early birth was that of Susan, a daughter to Mr. and Mrs. William Beighley, April 13, 1857.
A girl was born to Mr. and Mrs. James Luff, who lived in the village of Shell Rock, in the spring of 1857. They kept a tavern. In November, 1855, Willie Andrews, son of Oliver and Mary Andrews, who the July previous had located in the township of Hayward, was born, being the second white child, and the first male born in Freeborn county. The first marriage in the county took place here early in 1857 or late in the year previous, being that of Hannibal Bickford and Maria Colby. The ceremony was
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performed by William Andrews, Esquire. December 21, 1858, Mrs. Fannie Andrews, wife of William Andrews, died and was buried in Greenwood cemetery. William Rice, one of the first settlers in the township, died early in December, 1856, from the results of an exposure in a blizzard. Byron Packard and Charles Walker died about December 20 of the same year, having been frozen while making a trip to Shell Rock city.
Shell Rock occupies a high post of honor in many of the events of our early settlement. One of the first Commissioners, Wm. Andrews, was appointed from this town, and he became the first chairman of the County Board. It was here that the first school- house was erected, June, 1857, in the district now known as 49. The building was a frame, also the first of the kind put up. Here the first patriotic demonstration was made, as early as 1857, and we may add, that here also, the first suit was tried, being a case of one Boulton against C. T. Knapp, before Justice Andrews, in the spring of 1857, in which A. H. Bartlett appeared as attorney for both parties. As already noticed, Shell Rock was the scene of the first election, November 4, 1856, when the whole county constituted but one precinct, and forty-four votes indicated nearly the total strength of our adult male population.
Township Organization. The township was organized May 11, 1858, and the first officers elected were William Andrews, C. S. Tarbell and Henry Thurston.
Cemeteries. Hoyt Will Cemetery is situated upon a high rise of land in the northeastern part of section 24, containing something less than one acre, which was laid out in 1872. The first burial here occurred in 1867 and was that of Daniel S. Hoyt, who donated the land for the cemetery. Dane Cemetery is located in the southeastern corner of section 12, having been laid out in 1878, and the same year the remains of Mrs. Mary Nelson were deposited here, making the first interment. Greenwood Cemetery is located in section 5, township 101, range 20. The first trustees were A. G. Morgan, Ed. Erickson and Jay Bartlett. It was surveyed by Frank H. Fisk. It was filed for record December 8, 1910.
CHAPTER XXXI.
FREEBORN COUNTY CHURCHES.
Pioneers in Faith Wh First Held Services in This County- Story of the Leading Churches of the Townships and Villages -Norwegian Lutheran Evangelical Synod-United Lutheran -Danish Lutheran-German. Lutheran-Swedish Lutheran- Danish Baptist-Methodist Episcopal-German Methodist- Free Methodist-United Brethren-Presbyterian-Congrega- tional-Roman Catholic-Adventists-Early Services.
The religious history of Freeborn county begins with Rev. Syl- vester N. Phelps, who, as early as 1856, preached in Moscow town- ship, and a year later in Albert Lea. Rev. Phelps was a Metho- dist. Rev. Isaac W. McReynolds settled in Albert Lea township in 1856 and did considerable preaching. The Lowrys, father and son, Theop. and S. G., located in Moscow at an early day and, being clergymen of the Presbyterian faith, preached in various places for the earliest pioneers. The Rev. Stephen Cook, a Con- gregationalist, living in Austin, also preached in Freeborn county in pioneer times. Catholic priests, from missions at Faribault, St. Mary's, Winona and other places, occasionally preached in Newry, even before the war. Rev. C. L. Clausen and other Lutheran ministers, also served the people of the Scandinavian persuasion almost from the very first settlement. Rev. Walter Stott, a Methodist clergyman, settled near, in the vicinity of Glenville, in 1856, and was one of the first three assessors in Freeborn county. As he was not a member of the conference he was unable to perform marriages.
It has been the desire of the managers of this publication to secure a complete history of every congregation in the country, and to this end hundreds of letters have been addressed to pastors and church members. The congregations not represented here are those whose officials have failed to furnish the information asked for. The Albert Lea churches appear in a separate chapter.
NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN.
The Freeborn Congregations, Norwegian Lutheran Evangelical Synod. The Freeborn congregation is, so to speak, the mother of eleven or twelve Lutheran churches now in Freeborn county,
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MR. AND MRS. ISAAC W. McREYNOLDS
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namely : Moscow, Oakland, Trondhjem and Hayward, Rev. O. Amdalsrud, pastor ; Round Prairie and Lunder, Rev. O. A. Sauer, pastor ; Albert Lea, Rev. O. H. Smeby, pastor; the West or Man- chester and Hartland, Rev. T. J. Strand, pastor, and the East and Central, or Bancroft and North or Bath churches, Rev. H. J. Strand, pastor.
The congregation was organized in 1861 with Rev. C. L. Clausen, its first pastor, he serving until 1865, with the exception of the time he served as chaplain in the Civil War. However, even before 1861 the Right Rev. H. A. Preus and the Right Rev. V. Koren made mission trips in and around Freeborn county ; the father of the writer having the honor of at one time taking Rev. Koren to Red Oak Grove, in Mower county, with an ox team, coming from his home in Hayward, seven miles, to Albert Lea, and then on to Red Oak Grove, twenty-three miles. It was in the winter time and the sleigh used was what we called a "long sled," made of wood-not a bolt in it and no steel or iron shoes on the runners-every part of it was wood.
From 1865 to 1868 the Right Rev. T. A. Torgerson had charge of the congregation. After him the now deceased Rev. E. Wulfs- berg, a veteran of the Civil War, accepted the call tendered him and remained its pastor for fifteen years. In 1883 he was called to Decorah, Iowa, and moved, with his family, from the state. The congregation mourned his loss, and it was said that when he preached his farewell sermon there were tears in everybody's eyes. He was an exceptional man, an eloquent speaker, a great worker, a man that could make peace and cement together diffi- culties that came up or might creep into the congregation. In his time a parsonage was built and four nice new churches. Rev. O. H. Smeby assisted him for two years, he (Rev. Smeby) receiv- ing a call to Albert Lea in 1876, with Hayward and Oakland annexed. Four years later, namely, 1880, Johan Thorbjorn Ylvisaker was called, he assisting Rev. Wulfsberg three years, and in turn undertaking the call in 1883 as pastor-in-chief. In 1886 Rev. L. P. Jensen was called to assist Rev. Ylvisaker, and after serving as such for three years, Rev. J. Th. Ylvisaker was called, in 1889, to Decorah, Iowa, and accepted the call. At that time the congregation was divided, Rev. L. P. Jensen taking the West, or Manchester and Hartland churches, while the other three, namely, East Bancroft and Central Bancroft and the North or Bath, extended a call to H. J. Strand, the present incumbent, and he has ably and faithfully served the congregation for twenty-two years. He has helped to make Luther Academy what it is, a success, and in many ways helped his people, both morally and spiritually.
The first two churches built were of logs. East Bancroft was
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octagonal and fair-sized. The one in Manchester township was a four-walled log church and rather small.
Rev. Strand is entitled to a rest of at least one year, and I hope the congregation will soon favor him in some such way .- By Vegger Gulbrandson.
Those who assisted in the organization of the Central Freeborn congregation were Mr. and Mrs. G. Nornes, Mrs. Anna Opsahl, Mr. and Mrs. Elend Erikson, John Pederson, Tosten Thompson, Mr. and Mrs. Iver Sorlien, Mrs. M. Nilson, O. Moen, T. Moen, Mrs. Helgen (Johnson), Mrs. G. Bottolson, Mrs. Irvine Bottolson, Mr. and Mrs. E. Gjellum, Mrs. P. Skophammer, Mrs. Anna Talle, Mr. and Mrs. B. Aslesen, H. Kristofferson, Vetler Selstad, Rolf Tyke- son, K. Haugen, O. Narveson, Mr. and Mrs. H. Narveson, Mrs. O. Monson, John O. Johnson and A. Johnson.
The church was started in 1867 and completed the following year. The parsonage was completed shortly afterward. A new parsonage was erected in 1897. The East Freeborn congregation was organized in 1863 and the old octagon church built in 1868. The West Freeborn congregation was organized in 1867 and the present church erected in 1876. The North Freeborn congrega- tion was organized in 1873 and the church erected in 1876. The Albert Lea congregation was organized as a separate unit in 1876. The Oakland congregation was organized about 1880 and a church erected the same year. These churches all have cemeteries in connection with their houses of worship.
West Freeborn Congregation (Manchester), Norwegian Luth- eran Evangelical Synod. This congregation was organized about 1867. In 1876 the church was erected in section 4, Gust. Peter- son donating two acres of land for a site. It cost about $5,700 and is 36x82 feet, with a tower, in which an 800-pound bell has been placed, which cost $300. There is also a neat burial ground adjoining the church, which was laid out in 1872. In 1873 the first burial here was the remains of an infant child of Andrew Madson and wife. The first matured person whose remains were deposited here was Cornelius Gilbertson, who died at Freeborn at the age of twenty-four.
Hartland Congregation, Norwegian Lutheran Evangelical Synod. This congregation was organized and had a church and cemetery on the Louis Knutson farm before the village was thought of. After the village was started it was found a building in Hartland would be more convenient and in 1890 a movement was started for its erection. Rev. L. P. Jensen was pastor at that time and services were held in a rented building until the church edifice was finished. The cornerstone was laid in 1891 and the building dedicated the same year. The cost of the church was $2,306.24, there being at that time sixty heads of families in the
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