History of Freeborn County, including explorers and pioneers of Minnesota, and outline history of the state of Minnesota, Part 90

Author: Neill, Edward D. (Edward Duffield), 1823-1893. Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota. 1882; Neill, Edward D. (Edward Duffield), 1823-1893. Outline history of the state of Minnesota. 1882; Bryant, Charles S., 1808-1885. Sioux massacre of 1862. 1882; Bryant, Charles S., 1808-1885. State education. 1882; Minnesota Historical Company
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Minneapolis : Minnesota Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 576

USA > Minnesota > Freeborn County > History of Freeborn County, including explorers and pioneers of Minnesota, and outline history of the state of Minnesota > Part 90

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The present officials of the town, serving in 1882, are as follows: Supervisors, John Herron, Chair- man, Peter P. Haugen, and Michaol Dowd; Clerk, Thomas A. Helvig; Treasurer, Ole Easton; As- sessor, Ole C. Johnson; Justices of the l'eace. Thomas Herron and Patrick Creegan: Coustable. Andrew O'Leary. Eleetions are held in school- houses.

STATISTICAL.

THE YEAR 1881 .- The area included in this re- port takes in the whole town as follows:

Wheat 4,224 acres, yielding 56,212 bushels. Oats-1,0123 acres, yielding 31,132 bushels. Corn-75512 aeres, yielding 21,816 bushels. Barley -- 1163 aeres, yielding 3,307 bushels. Potatoes-471 acres, yielding 5,113 bushels. Sugar cane -- 1 acre, yielding 50 gallons.

Cultivated hay-1231 acres, yielding 816 tons. Total aereage cultivated in 1881, 6,2771 acres Wild hay-2,703 tons.

Timothy seed-3 bushels.

Apples-Number of trees growing, 319; mim bearing. 87: yielding, 36 bushels.

Grapes-10 vines, yielding 100 pounds.

Tobacco -276 pounds.

Sheep sheared -177, yielding 479 pounds of wool.

Dairy-405 cows, yielding 29,250 pounds of butter.

Hives of bees-31.

THE YEAR 1882 .- Wheat, 4,035 aeres; oats, 909; eorn, 1,07934; barley, 1291; buckwheat, 9; potatoes, 553 ; beans, } : sugar cane, } ; cultivated hay, 158: other produce, 1; total acreage enltiva- ted in 1882 -6,3763;

Apple trees- growing, 395; bearing, 77; grape vines bearing-8.

Milch cows-383.

Sheep-187, yielding 505 pounds of wool.

Forest trees planted and growing. 1014 acres.

POPULATION .-- The census of 1870 gave Newry a population of 596. The last census, taken in 1880, reports 737 for this town; showing an increase of 141.

MATTERS OF INTEREST.

The first birth in the township occurred at four o'clock a. m., on the 9th of February, 1856, and ushered into existence Tingue, a daughter of Chris- tian E. and Randi N. D. Johnson who resided upon seetion thirty-six. The child grew to woman . hood in the township aud on the 6th of February, 1876, was married to John G. Quamm and now resides in Dakota.

The first marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. C. S. Clauson on the 5th of June. 1858, and united the destinies of Halver Elofson and Caroline Fingerson, and, sad to say, the happy bride men- tioned, ere six months had elapsed, was ealled upon by the hand of death and passed to the unknown shore, making the first death in the township.

The first title to land within the boundary of Newry township was acquired by Oliver R. Austin and W. R. Lincoln, who proved upon lands in sec- tions four and five on the 4th of of September, 1856.

NEWRY GRANGE LODGE No. 99 .- This society or order effected an organization on the 9th of December, 1873, at the schoolhouse of Distriet No. 79, nuder the auspices of Messrs Butler and King, of Albert Lea, with fifteen charter mem- bers, and C. E. Johnson was elected Master. The

511

NEWRY TOWNSHIP.

lodge flourished, holding meetings once each week until 1875, when the charter, thirty members, and fifteen dollars which was in the treasury, were merged with the Albert Lea Lodge.

NEWRY POST-OFFICE .- This office was estab- lished upon a petition from the citizens in 1874, with John Herron as Postmaster and office at his house in the northwestern part of section nine. Mail arrived by way of the Blooming Prairie and Geneva route, and is yet carried to this point from the former place. The business has amounted to about $3 per quarter. The otlice, location, and Postmaster are the same at present as when first established.

RELIGIOUS.

The first services held in the township, of a re- ligious character, were in the fall of 1856, at the house of Ole Thorson, in section thirty-six, and Rev. C. L. Clauson and Rev. O. Pierce were the ministers who officiated, both being followers of the Lutheran faith. In 1857 C. L. Clanson or- ganized the Norwegian Lutheran Church at a house in section thirty-six, owned by C. E. Rukke, with thirty-six members, and the society com- menced holding services at private residences, which they continued until 1874, when they erected a fine church building just over the coun- ty line in Mower county, adjoining section twenty- four, which cost $6,000, and is a credit to the so- ciety. The church now has a membership of over two hundred, and is known under the title of Red Oak Grove Norsk Lutheran Church.

EDUCATIONAL.

For educational purposes this township is ‹livided into six school districts, which are all in good financial condition, and have a fair average attendance in each. Their numbers are 1, 2, 73, 79, and 106.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

THOMAS A. HELVIG is a native of Norway, born

on the 14th of September, 1845. He emigrated to America in 1861, aud settled in Fayette county, Towa. On the 27th of February, 1864, he en- listed in the Ninth Iowa Volunteer Infantry, and participated in the battles of Kenesaw Mountain, Atlanta, Jonesboro, and several others. In the winter of 1865 he was sick about a month, but afterwards returned to service and was sent to the regiment at Goldsborough, North Carolina, on the 2d of March, 1865. They marched from there to Washington, and after about three weeks was sent to Clinton, Iowa, where he received his discharge, and reached home on the 1st of July, 1865. On the 29th of November, 1867, he came to this place, and just two years after was joined in marriage with Miss Dora Benson. The following December Mr. Helvig purchased a farm insection thirteen, which has since been his home. In 1870 he was chosen a member of the board of Super- visors, and again in 1878; in 1876 was elected Town Clerk, and again in 1880 still filling the office. He is also clerk of his school district.

CHRISTIAN ERICK RUKKE was born in Norway on the 18th of July, 1822. He learned the stone- mason trade in his native place, and worked at the same more or less until coming to America. He was married on the 14th of April, 1852, to Miss Randi Nelsdatter Sustegard, who has borne him fifteen children, eleven of whom are living, five boys and six girls. In 1852 Mr. and Mrs. Rukke emigrated to this country, arriving in Rock county, Wisconsin, on the 9th of August. The following year they moved to Stephenson county, Illinois, and in the spring of 1856 once more changed their place of residence, coming this time to Newry, where they were among the first settlers. Mr. Rukke was the organizer of school District No 79, and had control of it a number of years. He was the first Town Treasurer, and has been elected to different otlices since but would not accept.

512

HISTORY OF FREEBORN COUNTY.

OAKLAND.

CHAPTER LXX.

DESCRIPTIVE -- EARLY SETTLEMENT - OFFICIAL RECORD-OAKLAND VILLAGE-STATISTICS- RE- LIGIOUS-SCHOOLS BIOGRAPHICAL.

This is one of the eastern towns of Freeborn county, and is bounded as follows: Moscow township on the north, Oakland on the south, Mower county on the east, and Hayward town- ship on the west. It is a fult congressional town- ship, the integrity of the original government survey remaining unchanged, as in all the towns of the county.

Unlike all other of Freeborn county's sub- divisions, this has no lakes or water courses; but water can be obtained by boring to a reasonable depth. A little brook is marked upon the map as rising in the northern part of section six and flowing northward into Moscow.

The entire western part of the town is made up of what is termed "oak opening" land, or prairie and natural meadows dotted with groves of small growth burr and black oak timber, and there is also considerable moderately heavy timber; al- though this has been greatly diminished as in comparison with what it was in early days. The eastern part is, as a rule, prairie land with the usual pleasant and beautiful rolling tendency. which, as you go toward the south, becomes rather low and marshy, yet, not sufficiently so to be wholly impractical for agriculture. In seetion fourteen considerable burr oak timber is found. The soil is a rich dark loam, with a subsoil of elay and gravel, and the entire township is well fitted for the erops and modes of farming of the present day, yielding abundant and profitable crops to the energetie and industrious.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

An absorbing interest is always manifested in regard to the very first pioneer who ventured into

any locality to establish a home, and it would seem that while parties who were cotemporary with the first settlers are still living, it would not be difficult to promptly arrive at the fact, but tor various reasons which it may not be necessary to state, this is not the ease, and there is much more uncertainty in this respect than would be sup- posed by those who have not undertaken to gather this kind of information. It is quite certain, that the first settlement in the township of Mos- cow was made in 1855, by a party from Illinois. This party consisted of G. W. Carpenter and fam- ily, and W. L. Carpenter, with Joel Bullock and family and Lemuel Bullock. George W. Carpen- ter located in section ten; W. L. Carpenter, a young man, scoured a piece of land in section three,; Joel Bullock with his family made himself at home in section four, and Lemnel Bullock made a claim in section three.

The next settlement was made near the center of the town by a party of Irishmen, who arrived in July, 1856. Cornelius Kennevan, together with his family, among whom were three sons, came at this time, and located upon a good farm in section twenty-two, where he remained until the time of his death, which occurred in 1880, and his three sons still remain in the town in com- fortable and prosperous circumstances. John Murane, a native of the Old Emerald Isle, ar- rived at the same time and located in section twenty-seven. Hle remained upon his original homestead until 1874, when he gave up the ghost. and his family still occupy the place.

Within a few weeks after the arrival of these Irishmen, a couple of Norwegian brothers in the personnel of Ole and George O. Gunderson, late of Wisconsin, made their appearance upon the scene and took claims just north of the above mentioned parties, in and about seetion nine. Ole took a claim of 160 acres in this section, brought his family, and erected a log hut among other

513

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP.

improvements; he remained here until 1877, when his earthly career was abruptly terminated.

Francis Merchant, Sr., a Frenchman, was also among the arrivals of 1856, and settled in sec- tion one. The old homestead is still in the hands of members of his family.

Reuben Babcock was among the arrivals of 1856, coming in November of that year from Illi- nois, and filed upon 160 acres of Uncle Sam's do- main in section fifteen, where he located his fam- ily, erected a log house, and remained until 1859, when he sold his place and removed to Albert Lea.

Asa Bullock, Jr., a native of Vermont, arrived in Oakland in the latter part of October, 1856, and pre-empted 160 acres, where he erected a log house and remained until 1864, when he was called upon by the Great Overseer to report upon the other shore of the valley of death. Mr. Bul- lock was highly esteemed by his neighbors, hav- ing hield many public positions of trust and res- ponsibility, discharging the duties with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.

Others among the early settlers were A. D. Weight, Jerry Griffin, Henry Hollenshead, James Robinson, and in the southern part of the town a great many Bohemians, whose names have been forgotten.

VARIOUS MATTERS OF INTEREST.

The first birth in the township was that of a child of Samnel Bullock and wife, in February, 1856. The parents of the child had settled in section three in 1855, having come from Wis- consin.

The first marriage of parties living in Oakland took place in the winter of 1855 and '56, and uni- ted W. L. Carpenter to Miss Prudence Bullock; and L. E. Bullock to Miss Yuba Carpeuter, be- ing a double wedding. As there was no one in the township licensed to marry, the parties went over the line into Mower county, where the cere- mony was performed by Squire Beach.

Another early marriage was that of Oscar Mil- ler and Miss Bullock, in September, 1857. This ceremony was performed by George Watson, Esquire, in the township of Moscow.

It is claimed that the first death in Oakland took place in the spring of 1858, and carried to that great unknown shore Asa Bullock, the father of a large family of early pioneers, who had, in 1857, located in section nine.

W. L. Carpenter and L. E. Bullock turned the first sod in the way of breaking in the township, in section three, in the spring of 1856. They also put up the first dwelling houses in Oakland, of logs.

From the official records we glean that the first title to land was acquired by George N. Crane, to the northeast quarter of section thirty, on the 15th day of August, 1856.

OFFICIAL RECORD,

The first election or town meeting held within the boundaries of Oakland, and, in fact, at which the town organization was effected, took place on the 5th of April, 1857, at the house of Thomas Riley in the northeastern part of the town. The gentleman, at whose house the meeting was held, was made clerk, and Asa Bullock was chosen mod- erator. After the usual preliminaries the matter of electing township officials for the ensuing year was turned to, and after the polls were closed it was found there were 31 votes cast, and the fol- lowing officers were declared elected: Supervisors, Asa Bullock, Chairman, Willard L. Carpenter, and Henry Hollenshead; Clerk, Cornelius Kennevan; Collector, John Murane; Assessor, John Murane; Justice of the Peace, Cornelius Kennevan; Consta- ble, James Robinson ; Overseer of the Poor, James Robinson; Ponnd Master, Asa Bullock, Jr.

Public matters have been attended to with zeal and honesty, and through the capability of the gentlemen who have officiated there has been no waste of public funds; but economy has tempered all expenditures. At the last annual town meet- ing, held in the spring of 1882, the following gentlemen were made officers for the ensning year: Supervisors, Frank Merchant, Chairman, D. C. Kennevan, and A. Lesnm; Clerk, A. G.Wise- man; Assessor, Edward Cotter; Treasurer, John J. Roylston; Justices of the Peace, E. B. Earl and William Chester. Town meetings are held alter- nately at the schoolhouses of districts thirty-two and thirty-three. The town now registers 160 voters, although at the last election only 43 votes were polled.

In 1864, bonds were voted to the amount of $1,000 to pay bounty to volunteers to fill the quota assigned the town and thus prevent a draft. In the spring of 1865 another special meeting was held and again bonds were voted.

OAKLAND VILLAGE.

This is located upon the line of the Southern

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AFLAND TOWN-HIP

DISTRICT NO. 32-EZerel an organizan = 1566. and their schoolbonne was eretad siz 16x30. at a cost of 8900, in the cartem par ! section twenty-two. The Erst Board :: 52 offers was made up of Job Mzal. llar Chista and Peter Trang, who employed Miss L J. Chista to teach the Bret term of saboni the attendance being thimy-Sve papdla. This term :: school was held in a private boase io 1:of. The present chcem are as follows: Inventar Partner Conter: Clerk, J. Porcell: Treasurer. J. Kerberaz. The last sebool tanghi in this bemar Usi ad st- tendance of forty-fre pupils.

DISTRICT NO. 33 .- This distin was sei apari from No. 32 noi hoog after the organization of ibs: distriet, and it is claimed the Erst solo!

Duties No. 33 bell ins inst meeting ~ 16 1. when No S? was met vegacizel anti several Teams shierward?" Il is bertains Lowere آكلة the Erst sabool was tanghi in the fall of 1:52. ss the house of George Carpenter. by Thum se Paz- bez, will thirteen sobolass in the bestbes The

Doctbeastem pam of sertio mme earir = ile summer of 1800. sime 16x26 feet. The imer school was manghi by Eva Pilgrim :. at anen ksone x sixteen sobolsrs, she receiving for ber semmires 82.

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516

HISTORY OF FREEBORN COUNTY.

FRANCIS MERCHANT, JR., one of the early setlers of this place, was born in France on the 20th of September, 1842. He came with his parents to America when seven years old, resided in Oneida county, New York, until 1856, when they removed to Wisconsin, and a year later to this place, locat- ing a farm in section one, which is still their home. In 1862, Francis enlisted in Company C. of the Ninth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry; was appointed First Lieutenant, sent south, and at the close of the war, returned to Fort Snelling, where he received a Captain's commission and was hon- orably discharged. He then returned to his home, and on the 11th of November, 1866, mar- ried Miss Annie Lamping, formerly from Illinois. They have five children. Mr. Merchant bought his father's farm in 1877, and now carries on the same, his parents living in Walla Walla, Washington Territory.

ASA ROWLEY is a native of the Empire State, born on the 12th of October. 1830. He moved with his parents to Columbia county, Wisconsin, in 1846, and on the 14th of October, 1856. mar- ried Miss Hutchison Smith. They lived on a farm in Adams county, Wisconsin, for three years, then returning resided on a farm adjoining his father's until 1864, when they came to Oakland and home- steaded in section six. He has since added to his farm and makes it his home; he has held town offices, also church otlices, being a member of the Presbyterian Church. Hee is the father of four children, two sons and two danghters. His eldest son was graduated from the State University in 1881, and the younger is now in the junior class in the same institution, and his daughters are both prominent teachers in this county.

WILLIAM T. SPILLANE, a native of Pennsylva- nia, was born in Potter county, on the 22d of Jan- mary, 1856. When he was sixteen years old he came to Albert Lea, and was employed by H. - Rowell in an elevator for three years, then moved to Dubuque, Iowa, and attended school for one year. He subsequently took a trip through Kan- sas and Missouri, returning to this county in 1877. He was engaged in buying wheat for Car- ! gill & Co., being at different stations on the road until the autumn of 1879, when he took charge of the elevator in this place and has since held the position.

JAMES TORRENS was born in Ireland on the 15th

of October, 1831, and when eighteen years old emigrated to America. He lived in New York, then in Michigan, and in 1859, started to Minne- sota, but on arriving in Illinois, stopped and re- mained through the winter. He was married on the 4th of July, 1858, to Miss Charlotte J. Finlon. Early in the spring they came on to this State, and located a farm in this township, which conta ins two hundred and forty acres, and is well improv- ed. Mr. and Mrs. Torrens have a family of ten children, all but two of whom are at home.

ALONZO P. WARREN, a native of the Empire State, was born in Genesee county, on the 2d of September, 1823. When he was fifteen years old he came to Racine, Wisconsin, where he worked at the carpenter trade for two and a half years, then returned to his native State. After a resi- dence of three years he again came to Wisconsin: bought a farm in Dodge county, which he carried on for a few years and then came to Waupun and opened a harness shop. He was married on the 13th of April, 1846, to Miss C. B. Rogers. They conducted a hotel for one year ia Algona, Winne- bago county. For a time they lived in Alma, where his wife died, on the 14th of September, 1851, leaving a son and a daughter. The son en- listed in the army, and was killed in the battle of Atlanta. Mr. Warren was married to his present wife, formerly Miss C. E. Fuller, on the 9th of October, 1866.

HENRY WYENT, one of the pioneers of this place, was born in Pennsylvania in 1822. His father died when Henry was fifteen years old and he soon after moved with his mother to a different lacality in the same State, and worked at various oceupations, finally renting a farm which he car- ried on for four years, He was married in the autumn of 1849, to Miss Eliza Showese and they have four children, three boys and one girl. In the fall of 1845, Mr. Wyent came to this place and took a claim in section six, returning to Pennsyl- vania for the winter, and in the spring bronght his family. At the time of the Indian trouble he sent his family back to their former home, and enlist- ed in Company C, of the Second Minnesota Cav- alry; went west and served till the spring of 1864, when he was mustered out at Fort Snelling. He then went for his family, and has since made this płace his home. He owns a good farm of three hundred and twenty acres.

517

PICKEREL LAKE TOWNSHIP.

PICKEREL LAKE.

CHAPTER LXXI.

DESCRIPTION --- EARLY DEVELOPMENT -- ORGANIZA- TION -- ARMSTRONG VILLAGE -- RELIGIOUS -- SCHOOLS - BIOGRAPHICAL.

The town bearing this appellation is among the center towns of Freeborn county, having as its contiguous surroundings, the township of Man- chester on the north; Nunda on the south; Albert Lea on the east; and Alden on the west. It is constituted as originally surveyed by the govern- ment officers, of thirty-six sections, or 23,040 acres.

The surface of the town may be said to be diversified, as we find both timber and prairie and. In early days the greater part of the east- ern half of the town was timber of divers varieties, among which were burr and black oak, maple. basswood, beach, elm, butternut, and some black walnut, and yet there are many traces of this min- iature forest visible in the region of the lakes, some even claiming that at least one-eighth of the township is now covered with timber; but we think that this statement is a little overdrawn. There are, however, many spots of land covered with patches of oak openings and groves, as the town may be said to be, in a limited way, noted for its beautiful landscape which is greatly en- hanced by these small groves of timber. The surface is rolling, in places given to abrupt hills called "knolls," which also help to make the scenery picturesque. One of these, known as "Jennings Point" in section two, rises higher than the surrounding country, and is the highest point in the county. It is claimed by a great many, and through Freeborn county generally believed, that this is the highest point of land in the State; but this is a very apparent mistake, for the very report, (Winchell's geological survey report, pub- lished in 1876), upon which this theory is based, contradicts it. There are three points in Minne-

sota which rise to a height of 200 feet above this: one in Nobles, one in Mower, and one in Otter Tail county. It is true, however, that this is the highest point in Freeborn county, it being 1,342 feet above the level of the ocean, and 667 feet above Lake Superior.

The soil, in the eastern part, is a rich dark loam of from two to two and one-half feet in depth; underlaid by a subsoil of yellow clay of abont 20 feet, beneath which lics the blue clay. As you go westwardly, to the more open rolling prairie, the soil becomes of a lighter nature, with a tendency to sandiness, the depth of which varies from eight to eighteen inchies; having a gravelly loam and sand subsoil of twelve feet, underneath which is the sand bed. There is no lime or sand- stone to speak of, but in places there is a profusioh of boulders. The best of water is found at reas- onable depth.

The town is well watered by various lakes and streams, which are all teeming with fish, and are much frequented by seekers after sport of this kind. White's Lake lies in the northeastern part of the town, covering about 160 acres in section one; this was originally known as Albert Lea Lake, bnt since 1856, when A. W. White pre- empted a claim touching it, the lake has been known under its present name. Pickerel Lake, after which the town was named, derives its appel- lation from the abundance of fish of this name which are found in its waters. It lies in the east- ern part of the town, in sections thirteen and twenty-four, and extends into the town of Albert Lea; a large tract of land northwest of this lake is marked on the map as overflown land and use- less for farming purposes. In sections twenty- three and twenty-six are located the Little Oyster Lakes, so called because of their shape, and it is made a joke that on wet occasions they open their mouths in the shape of an inlet to admit fresh water. Next comes the upper Twin Lake, the

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