History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 76

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343

USA > Minnesota > Houston County > History of Houston County, Minnesota > Part 76

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).

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tion 30. Winnebago township, and for four or five years operated it as a renter, subsequently purchasing the place. Then in 1893 he bought an improved 80-acre farm in the same section, the buildings on which, how- ever, were only fair. These he has improved or replaced by new ones, and his land being united has now a fine farm of 270 acres, of which 250 are under the plow and both well tilled and well fenced, the fencing being hogproof. The house, which he has enlarged and improved, is a two-story upright with wing, and contains 13 rooms. It is well painted and stands in a fine yard, there being an abundance of shrubbery. Mr. Deters also built a frame barn, measuring 40 by 90 by 18 feet, with full 8-foot stone basement. He has also a hog house, 22 by 52, with cement floors; a granary, machine shed, poultry house, wagon shed and garage, all the buildings be- ing in good condition. The farm is very productive and is near convenient markets and shipping points, it being eleven miles south of Caledonia, and nine miles northwest of New Albin, Iowa. Mr. Deters also owns a well im- proved farm of 240 acres near Beltrami, in Polk county, Minn., and a 280- acre farm in Alberta, Canada, besides having land interests in the state of Washington. Though still residing on his farm in Winnebago township, it is now rented to one of his sons, Mr. Deters himself being practically re- tired, but makes annual visits to his property in the various localities, ex- ercising a careful supervision over it. The winter of 1917-18 he and his wife spent in California at the home of a son, being from home five months. In addition to the interests already mentioned, he is also a shareholder in the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery, the Caledonia Stock and Grain Com- pany, the Farmers' Co-operative Mercantile Company of Eitzen, the Mutual Iron Mining Company of Duluth, and the Western Mortgage & Loan Com- pany of Minneapolis. . In politics he has always been a Republican, and for a number of years was town supervisor, also serving as chairman of the board. In church matters he has also been prominent and is still active, he and his family belonging to the German Evangelical congregation at Eitzen. Mr. and Mrs. Deters are the parents of eight children : Alfrida, born Feb. 12, 1880, who is the wife of August Wiegrefe, of Wilmington township; Rosina, born May 21, 1881, who is now Mrs. William Wiebke, of Caledonia City; August, born Nov. 23, 1883, who is expert mechanic in an auto garage at Ventura, Calif .; Malinda, born April 3, 1885, now Mrs. Edward Freiberg, of Eitzen Village, her husband being a blacksmith and dealer in agriculutral implements ; Alfred, born April 21, 1887, a farmer in Winnebago township; Martha, born June 17, 1889, who is now Mrs. Roy Smith of Roseau county, Minn .; Jennie, born Feb. 15, 1893, now Mrs. Henry Nolte, of Polk county, Minn .; and Elmer, who is now engaged in operating the home farm. Mr. Deters has just erected on his old home farm, a beautiful modern bungalow, comfortable and sightly, where he and his good wife will spend the afternoon of life after a busy career filled with worthy effort.

Elmer Deters, who is engaged in operating the Deters farm of 270 acres in Winnebago township, was born in section 30, this township, July 16, 1895, son of Fred and Louisa (Brinker) Deters. In his boyhood he at- tended school in the village of Eitzen, near which the parental farm is lo-

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cated. He has always remained on the homestead, and acquired a knowl- edge of agriculture and stock raising under his father, one of the leading farmers of Winnebago township. In the spring of 1917 he bought the stock, tools and teams of his father and has been engaged in operating the farm, carrying on general farming, and raising cattle and hogs for the market with profitable results. He was married Feb. 17, 1917, to Hilda, daughter of Albert and Martha Kuehn, of New Albin, Iowa, and he and his wife have one child, Helen, who was born Feb. 7, 1918. He and his family are members of the German Evangelical congregation at Eitzen, and in politics he is a Republican. Energetic and enterprising, he has made a good start on his own account, and has every prospect of a suc- cessful future.

Werner Schroeder, a well to do farmer of Winnebago township, en- gaged largely in stock raising, his residence lying in section 4, was born in Germany, May 26, 1874, son of Christopher and Marie (Garve) Schroe- der. He was but a year old when he accompanied his parents to the United States, the family locating on a farm not far from Eitzen, this county. Both father and mother are now deceased. Their children were: Henry (1), William, Henry (2), Katie, August, Herman, George, Frederick and Wer- ner, of whom William, Henry (2) Frederick and Werner are the only ones now living. Werner in his boyhood attended school in Eitzen and was trained to agriculture on the home farm, assisting his father until arriving at the age of 20 years. Then after working out for a year, he rented the farm of William Meyer (his father-in-law), operating it for two years, after which he bought the farm on which he now lives, which then had an area of but 80 acres. About 1911 he increased its size by buying an addi- tional tract of 120 acres, and in 1917 purchased 80 acres more, so that his present farm has an area of 280 acres, of which 110 are cleared, the rest being in cut-over woodland. Mr. Schroeder has made a number of valu- able improvements on the property, having rebuilt some of the old buildings and erected others. He has a barn 28 by 60 feet, with stone basement, and his home is a good modern residence. As a general farmer and stock raiser he has achieved notable success, his cattle being of the Black Polled variety, and of these, as well as hogs, he ships a number to market yearly. In ad- dition to these interests he is a shareholder in the co-operative creamery at Caledonia, the stock and grain company, the elevator at Caledonia, and the Farmers' Telephone Co. For five years he has held the office of school clerk. Mr. Schroeder was married in Eitzen, this county, to Dora Meyer, who was born in Germany, June 8, 1877, daughter of William and Katherine (Westermann) Meyer, and who accompanied her parents to Houston County, Minn., in 1882, when five years old, they taking a farm near Eitzen, where the mother is now living. The father is now deceased. The family included four children : Dora, Mary, Walter and Martha, of whom Walter is now deceased. To Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder eleven children have been born : Arthur, Nov. 29, 1897; Elsie, July 24, 1899; Martha, Sept. 11, 1901; Robert, Sept. 7, 1903; Hulda, Oct. 5, 1905; George, Jan. 3, 1908; Herbert, May 1, 1910; Ruth, May 13, 1912; Mary, May 26, 1914; Victor, June 12, 1915; and Esther, Aug. 2, 1917. Of these, two are deceased : Robert, who

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died at the age of 16 months, Jan. 3, 1905; and Mary, who died on the day of her birth. All the others are residing at home, and Arthur is assisting his father on the farm.

Henry Wiebke, who was for a number of years one of the best known and most prosperous farmers of Winnebago township, but is now deceased, was born in Germany, Feb. 20, 1848, a son of poor parents who emigrated to the United States when he was seven years old, or about 1855. The family settled first in Illinois, from which state they came to Houston county in or about the year 1860. Here Henry was reared to manhood and had about a year's schooling in addition to what he had received in Germany. In 1869 he began farming for himself, buying 100 acres in section 30, Winne- bago township. The land was partly improved, there being a small house on it, and a frame barn, 32 by 54 by 16 feet, with a full stone basement of 8 feet. Mr. Wiebke subsequently bought 80 acres adjoining, thus having a farm of 180 acres, which he made one of the best on Portland Prairie. To the original house he built an ell, 30 by 80 by 16 feet, on an eight-foot stone basement; also a poultry house, 16 by 24; a machine shed, granary and corn crib combined, 20 by 32; a scale house, 12 by 16 feet, and other outbuild- ings, the scale house also serving as a garage. Not yet satisfied, in 1915 he erected a two-story modern frame house, equipped with wash rooms, toilets and bath, with kitchen and laundry in the basement, and with a modern lighting system-it being one of the finest farm houses in this sec- tion. He had under the plow the entire acreage of the farm, and for years was a breeder of pure-blooded Aberdeen Angus cattle, Poland-China hogs, and other high grades of stock, winning a high reputation both as a gen- eral farmer and stock raiser, and also as a man of enterprise and public spirit, being highly respected throughout this part of the county. In ad- dition to his home farm he also bought at a later period, 80 acres in Jeffer- son township, 65 acres in sections 5 and 6, Winnebago township, another 65-acre tract in section 6, Winnebago township, and 157 acres in Mayville township, owing in all 541 acres. He was also a shareholder in the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery and the Co-operative Stock and Grain Company of Caledonia. Mr. Wiebke was a strong, rugged man and always a hard worker, and died March 2, 1916, after only a few days' sickness. In the previous January he had moved into his new house. Mr. Wiebke was first married Nov. 3, 1871, to Dorothy Kruse who died May 1, 1885. Of this union five children were born: Melinda, born Sept. 21, 1872; married August Lager and died Dec. 14, 1917; Henry was born Oct. 8, 1873; Wil- liam, March 20, 1876; George, Aug. 21, 1882; and Lydia, Oct. 13, 1884. The last mentioned is now Mrs. Henry Poppie of Hauge Ridge, north of Cale- donia. Mr. Wiebke's second marriage occurred Nov. 29, 1887, when he was united with Mary, daughter of Fred and Christina Juergens, of Cook county, Ill., the date of her birth being Nov. 4, 1862. The children by this union were: Alma, born Sept. 11, 1888; and Addie, born March 22, 1891, both of whom are unmarried and residing on the home farm; Elsie, born June 27, 1893, now Mrs. Otto Voigt of Winnebago township; Leroy, born Feb. 29, 1896, is now married and farming in the county; Herbert, Dec. 6, 1899, and Fremont, July 23, 1901, are as yet unmarried and are now

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MR. AND MRS. HENRY WIEBKE

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operating the home farm, owning the stock, tools and equipment. Their mother also resides on the farm, and the children of Mr. Wiebke's first marriage reside within a few miles and are all well to do. The family at- tend the German Evangelical church at Eitzen, of which they are mem- bers and of which Mr. Wiebke was a strong supporter.

Henry Deters, the father of Frank F. Deters, was born in Germany, and was married in Illinois in 1855. He and his wife, Mary, came to Alla- makee county, Iowa, in the same year, taking a tract of land in Union City township, near the village of Eitzen, on which they built a log house and started poor, but in time developed a good farm and became prosperous. Both are now deceased. They had nine children; Henry, deceased; Frank F., of Winnebago township, Houston county; Louisa, now Mrs. Henry Luehr of Wilmington township; Louis, now on the old home farm in Alla- makee county, Iowa; Herman, deceased; Emma, wife of William Dressel- haus of Decorah, Iowa; Otto, who met an accidental death, being injured with a hay fork while working on the farm; William, residing in Houston county ; and Rosina, who is deceased.

Frank F. Deters, a prominent farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Winnebago township, who has also other extensive land interests, was born on a farm in Allamakee county, Iowa, near the village of Eitzen, Feb. 20, 1858, son of Henry and Mary Deters. He was there reared, attending the common school up to the age of 15 years. Remaining on the home farm until 1880, he was then married, Oct. 7, 1880, to Louisa, daughter of Fred and Christina Thies, of Eitzen, Minn. He then rented the farm that he now owns and operates, lying just on the edge of Eitzen village, which was improved but had poor buildings. Here he has since built a good two-story double house of 14 rooms; a large stock and grain barn, 34 by 76 by 18 feet, with full stone basement eight feet high, and well equipped; a horse and hay barn, 30 by 44 by 18 feet; a block tile poultry house, 14 by 22 feet; a machine and buggy shed combined, 20 by 33 feet; besides other necessary buildings, all of which are in fine condition. His farm lies in two sections, there being roughly speaking 114 acres in section 32 and 40 acres in section 31, or an exact total of 153.98 acres. The land is very productive, and is well fenced and well tilled, there being 140 acres under the plow. Mr. Deters also owns 80 acres of wild land in Marinette county, Wisconsin, and a fine ten-acre timber tract in Allamakee county, Iowa. His home farm lies on the famous Portland Prairie, and is well stocked with Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs, and he operates it in associa- tion with his son, Franklin H. He is also a stockholder in the Eitzen Co- operative Creamery and the Caledonia Co-operative Stock and Grain Co. A man of ability and enterprise, he has attained a high measure of suc- cess. Mr. and Mrs. Deters have one child, the son Franklin H. above men- tioned, who was born Aug. 20, 1881, and who has always remained on the home farm. He attended a commercial school at Eitzen, and was also a pupil for two years at Breckenridge Institute, Decorah, Iowa. On Decem- ber 2, 1903, he married Rosa, daughter of August and Mary Franzen, of Dupage county, Ill. He and his wife have had four children : Roy, born Sept. 21, 1904; Fremont and Earl, twins, born Sept. 17, 1906, of whom Earl

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is now deceased; and Edgar, born March 17, 1910. Mr. Deters and his sons are both Republicans in politics and both have rendered service as town and school board officials. The two families have individual membership in the German Evangelical church of Eitzen.

August F. Fruechte, one of the leading farmers of Winnebago town- ship, residing in section 33, was born on the farm on which he is now living, Nov. 30, 1877, son of Henry and Sophia Fruechte. His education was ac- quired in the common school in Eitzen village, the Winona Normal School, and the Minnesota Agriculutral School at St. Paul. His residence, when not pursuing his higher education, has always been on the home farm, which in 1907 he rented of his father and is now operating for his mother, he, himself owing the stock, tools and teams. His operating equipment is of the best, and he also owns a large Overland auto. He is a breeder of high grade Shorthorn cattle, keeping from 70 to 75 head; Poland-China hogs and Shropshire sheep, of each of which kinds of stock he keeps from 100 to 150 head. Thoroughly versed in all the details of grain and stock farming, he is enjoying a prosperous career and is a highly respected citizen of his township. He is also a stockholder in the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery, the Eitzen State Bank, and the Farmers' Co-operative Mercantile Co. of Eitzen, being secretary of the last mentioned organization. Dec. 15, 1909, Mr. Fruechte was united in marriage with Alvina, daughter of August and Dorothy Wiegrefe, her parents being residents of this locality. He and his wife have three children : Martha, born Sept. 28, 1910; Dorothy, Aug. 2, 1912; and Elsie, Jan. 30, 1918. Mr. Fruechte and his family are members of the German Evangelical church at Eitzen. His political principles are in general those of the Republican party, though he exercises freedom in casting his vote.

Henry Fruechte, the founder of one of the best farms on Portland Prairie, Winnebago township, but now deceased, was born in Hanover, Germany, April 21, 1838, son of John H. and Dorothy (Meyer) Fruechte. He was educated in his native land, attending the common and parochial schools and also an agriculutral college, coming to America in the spring of 1860 a trained farmer. For one year he worked as a farm hand at Benson- ville, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. In the spring of 1861 he came to Houston county and bought 160 acres of wild land, partly grubbed and part prairie, in section 33, Winnebago township. During the summer of that year, how- ever, he worked for a Mr. Evans. In the fall he returned to Bensonville, where he attended English school during the winter of 1861-62. In the spring of 1862 he returned to Houston County and did some grubbing on his land, also building a small frame house. Thus prepared for domestic life, he again returned to Bensonville, where he was married, Oct. 9, 1862, to Sophia Franzen, daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Franzen. Imme- diately after his marriage he brought his bride to his Houston county farm, and together they began the work of developing the land and building a home. Though beginning with few resources, they made gradual progress and in time became prosperous. Before his death, which occurred April 21, 1915, Mr. Fruechte had acquired 450 acres of land-the present area of the farm-and was also the owner of two other farms in the western

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MR. AND MRS. HENRY FRUECHTE

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part of the state, each of 320 acres. On his home farm he had erected a fine set of buildings, including three frame barns, one 33 by 104 by 14 feet, with full stone basements for horses and cattle; another 24 by 60 by 12, for cattle, and the third 24 by 50 by 10, for stock. Among his other buildings were a machine shed, 22 by 60 feet, a granary 16 by 24; a hog house, with cement feeding floor, 20 by 50, and a poultry house 16 by 24 feet, together with corn cribs and other outbuildings. He also erected a comfortable house of two stories, and beautified the grounds about it. The farm is well tilled, about 300 acres being under the plow, and the land being very pro- ductive. Mr. Fruechte marketed his products at New Albin. He was a breeder of high grade Shorthorn cattle, Poland-China hogs and graded Percheron horses. He was a man of sturdy physique and his last sickness was very brief. In addition to his direct farming and landed interests, he was a stockholder in various local enterprises, including the New Albin Stock & Grain Co., the New Albin Savings Bank, the State Bank of Eitzen, and the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery. In politics he was a Republican and served his town in various official capacities for a number of years. He was also prominent in church work, with his family belonging to the German Evangelical congregation at Eitzen. Mr. Freuchte was survived by. his wife, who was born Jan. 28, 1843, and who is still active and in good health. They had ten children, whose record in brief is as follows : Herman H., born Jan 7, 1864, now a farmer in Allamakee county, Iowa; Rosina, born Aug. 30, 1865, who is the wife of William L. Korthauer, of Verdi, Minn .; Otto H., a farmer in section 31, Winnebago township; Henry W., born Oct. 23, 1871, who is farming in Allamakee county, Iowa; Louisa, born July 25, 1873, now Mrs. Frank Thies of Wilmington township; Louis H., born March 31, 1875, who died Aug. 26, 1877; August, a farmer in section 33, Winnebago township; Emma, born Feb. 1, 1881, now Mrs. Wil- liam Wiegrefe of Wilmington township; Franklin, born Nov. 10, 1884, who is cashier of the Eitzen State Bank; and Martha, born Sept. 8, 1887, who died March 18, 1892.

Gustav Schroeder, a prosperous representative of the farming inter- ests of Winnebago township, operating a farm of 131 acres in section 7, was born in Caledonia township, Houston county, Minn., May 20, 1884, son of William and Emelia (Brenker) Schroeder. The father was born in Ger- many and emigrated to this county, where he is still engaged in farming. His wife, a native of the United States, is also living. They had eight children: Gustav, Otto, William, Alvina, Edwin, Ella, Henry and Albert. Gustav Schroeder in his boyhood attended district school and assisted his father on the home farm until 15 years old, when he began working out for wages. He was thus occupied until 1909, when he married. He then rented a farm, which he worked for seven years, at the end of that time buying the farm on which he now lives. Of its total area of 131 acres, 62 acres are cleared and Mr. Schroeder is still engaged in clearing the land. He does mixed farming, giving his chief attention to stock raising. Among his general improvements, he has erected several outbuildings and drilled a good well. He is a director in the school board of his district, and is the president and a shareholder in the Stromberg Telephone Co. No. 2. He

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also holds shares in the Caledonia Co-Operative Elevator Co. and in the Wilmington Co-Operative Creamery Co. Mr. Schroeder was married in Houston county, Jan. 18, 1909, to Matilda Kruse, who was born in Winne- bago township, this county, June 22, 1885, daughter of August and Emma (Meyer) Kruse. The parents were born in Germany but married in the United States. They are still engaged in farming in this county. They have had six children, Lizetta, Matilda, Herman and Carl (twins), and two others who are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder are the parents of four children: Clara, born Dec. 31, 1910; Lillie, Aug. 26, 1912; Arnold, April 4, 1915, and Carl, Jan. 30, 1918. The family attend the Lutheran church at Eitzen.

Andrew Anderson, an enterprising and successful farmer of Mayville township, residing in section 8, was born in Norway, Feb. 3, 1845, son of Andreas Olson and his wife, Oleana, his father being a working man. Neither of his parents ever came to America, but lived and died in their native land. They had seven children: Olaus, now deceased, who was a farmer in Wisconsin; Mary, who is a widow living in Wisconsin; Andrew, subject of this sketch; Anton and Ole, of Mayville township; Sophia, who is still living in Norway, as well as Hannah, both being married; and a son who died at the age of two years. Andrew Anderson attended school in Norway and subsequently served two months in the Norwegian army. He worked at differnt occupations in his native land, and on coming to the United States located first at Red Wing, Minn., where he resided for seven years working most of the time on farms. He then bought land in Pierce county, Wis., and was engaged in farming there for one year. Then, about 1880, he bought the farm on which he now lives, containing 120 acres, later homesteading 40 acres more, or 160 in all. Only 40 acres of the whole amount were cleared but he now has a cleared area of 120 acres, the balance being in woodland and bluffs. He has erected all the buildings himself and his place is now well improved. He does mixed farming, mainly dairying and the raising of swine, which, with cattle, he ships to the market. For- merly he was a member of the Farmers' Co-Operative Elevator Co. He has made good progress and is now one of the prosperous citizens of his town- ship. Mr. Anderson was married in Red Wing, Minn., March 3, 1877, to Carrie Ahlburg, who was born in Norway, July 2, 1854, daughter of Hanson and Mary (Arneson) Ahlburg. Both parents died in this country, the father dying of sunstroke while employed as a railroad man. After his death his widow married Christopher Olson. By the first marriage she had seven children: Anna Mary, born May 8, 1840; Ole Christian, April 3, 1842; Laura Fredericka, Nov. 9, 1844; Anton, June 18, 1848; and Carrie, July 2, 1854. Two more died in infancy. Of the second marriage five children were born. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of five chil- dren: Albert, born Dec. 23, 1878; Emma, Dec. 5, 1882; Carl, July 28, 1881; Hilda, June 2, 1887; and Arthur, June 17, 1893. Albert is a news- paper man and postmaster at Clear Brook, Minn. Emma is married and living in Houston county. Carl and Arthur are residing at home. Hilda is in Green Bay, Wis. Mr. Anderson and the members of his family who are residing at home attend the Norwegian Lutheran church at Caledonia.

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ANDREW ANDERSON AND FAMILY

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THOMAS HOULIHAN

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Peter Holter, a prosperous farmer of Winnebago township, residing in section 18, was born in Houston county, Minn., in January, 1883, son of Ole and Esibel (Twite) Holter. The parents were natives of Norway, both coming to this country when young, the mother at nine years of age. They are now engaged in farming near Cook, Minn. They have had eight chil- dren: Severt (1), Severt (2), Alfred, Peter, John, Olaf, Edward and Henry. All are living except the first Severt, who died in infancy. Peter Holter acquired his education in the district school and assisted his father on the home farm until attaining his majority, when he started in for himself. Marrying at the age of 23, he lived for six years on a farm owned by his wife, and for the next six years rented a place. He then moved back to the home farm, on which he is now living, and which contains 80 acres, of which about 30 acres are cleared, the rest being in woodland. He has himself cleared a part of the land and erected all the buildings, rebuilding the house. His barn, having a stone basement eight feet high, measures 50 by 30 feet. He has also built fences and made other improvements. Mr. Holter mar- ried in Spring Grove, Houston county, Minn., Jan. 17, 1906, Mrs. Reirson, who was born March 16, 1873, daughter of Hans Smastad and wife. Her mother is now dead, but her father is now living at the age of 88 years. Out of a family of ten children, Mrs. Holter is the only one now living. Mr. and Mrs. Holter have five children: Pearl Alvine, born Aug. 16, 1906; Ida, born July 24, 1908; Arthur, born Feb. 1, 1910; Hazel, born Sept. 16, 1912; and Robert, born Sept. 5, 1914. Four children were born of Mrs. Holter's first marriage, namely: Nels, Jan. 6, 1896; Harry, Oct. 17, 1898; William, Jan. 12, 1900; and Eddie, April 7, 1902. All these children of suitable age are attending school, and all are residing on the home farm except Nels, who is living in Houston county. Mr. Holter and his family attend the Nor- wegian Lutheran church at Wilmington.

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History of Houston County, Minnesota, Part 76

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge Publication date: 1919 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1343

Author: Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge
Publication date: 1919
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1343