USA > Minnesota > Todd County > History of Morrison and Todd counties, Minnesota, their people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 20
USA > Minnesota > Morrison County > History of Morrison and Todd counties, Minnesota, their people, industries and institutions, Volume II > Part 20
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Paul Gendreau's wife, before her marriage, was Odile Deslauriers. Mr. and Mrs. Gendreau are the parents of eight children, Eugene, Hector, Olive, Louise, Homer, Adelard, Eugenie, and one who died early in life. Eugene married Tillie Augmier, of Pierz, Little Falls township. Olive is the wife of Frank Mauller, a farmer of North Dakota.
Mr. Gendreau is a Democrat in politics, and served as a member of the school board for seventeen years, until 1914. The family are all members of the French Catholic church at Little Falls, Mr. Gendreau being the oldest member of this church.
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
ALFRED E. ROESE.
Journalism is one of the most important factors in twentieth century life and exerts a profound influence upon all phases of society. The rela- tion is just as profound and the influence just as great in the smaller cities and towns as in the larger cities. Among the newspaper men of Todd county, Minnesota, who have, by their progressive attitude towards local affairs, contributed in a very definite measure to the advancement of the community is Alfred E. Roese, a trained newspaper man, who, since Septem- ber, 1914, has been the editor and proprietor of the Todd County Argus.
Alfred E. Roese was born on February 5, 1863, at Osceola, Polk county, Wisconsin, and is the son of Stephen and Catherine Roese, the former of whom was born at Whora, Hesse-Cassel, Germany, in July, 1829, and who, after serving in the German army from 1845 to 1856, came to America in 1856 and lived for a time in New York city. Mrs. Catherine Roese died at Osceola, Wisconsin, in December, 1865, when her son, Alfred E., was a lad of less than three years. Mr. Roese's father died at Maiden Rock, Wis- consin, in March, 1897. There were four children in the Roese family, Augustus, who resides at Plummer, in Red Lake county, Minnesota ; Lizzie C., who is the wife of R. E. Smith, of Crookston, Polk county, Minnesota; Ina S., who is the wife of Lester Martin, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin ; and Alfred E. Roese, the subject of this sketch.
Alfred E. Roese received his education in the common schools of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, and, from 1895 to 1898, was employed as a civil engineer in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa. Washington, Oregon and Idaho. From 1889 to 1894 he conducted a restaurant at Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. In September, 1892, he launched the Press, at Maiden Rock, Wisconsin, and, in September, 1897, moved the plant to Osceola, Wisconsin, establish- ing the Sun, which he conducted until May, 1910. In that year, he sold out at Osceola and went to Oregon, but returned in the following September and purchased the Hudson ( Wisconsin) Star-Observer. In 1912, he sold this paper and went to Oregon again. He returned in 1913, and purchased the Worthington ( Minnesota) Globe, which he sold in September, of the same year, to A. M. Welles, of Sauk Center, Stearns county. In Septem- ber, 1914, Mr. Roese purchased the Todd County Argus and has published it ever since.
Alfred E. Roese was married in January, 1899, to Lizzie M. Bowers, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Bowers, of Maiden Rock, Wisconsin.
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Mrs. Roese's father, John Bowers, was born in Germany, July 5, 1833, and her mother in 1850, in Canada. They were the parents of three daughters and two sons, Mrs. Nellie A. Holstrom, of Lake, Minnesota; Mrs. Lizzie M. Roese, the wife of the subject of this sketch; Mrs. Sayde Hagg, of Gully, Polk county ; Dr. J. T., of Gully ; and Dr. H. E., of St. Paul, Minnesota.
For the past twenty-one years, Alfred E. Roese has been a member of the Masonic fraternity. He has been a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows since 1886. Mrs. Roese is a member of the Order of the Eastern Star and the Daughters of Rebekah. Mr. and Mrs. Roese are prominent in Long Prairie and highly respected by all who know them.
FRED FREEMAN.
There are individuals in nearly every community who, by reason of pronounced ability and force of character, rise above the heads of the masses and command the unbounded esteem of their fellow men. Characterized by perseverance and a directing spirit, two virtues which never fail, such men always make their presence felt, and the vigor of their strong personality serves as a stimulus and incentive to the young and rising generation. To this energetic and enterprising class the respected subject of this sketch very properly belongs, for he is indebted to his own ability solely for his present pleasing station in life. Mr. Freeman has always conscientiously performed every duty as it appeared and has the ability to see and grasp an oppor- tunity before it is even apparent to the ordinary observer, and these quali- ties serve him well as representative of the Gatly Supply Company in his travels over the states of North and South Dakota and Minnesota.
Fred Freeman, whose main occupation is that of farming his home- stead in Darling township, Morrison county, is a native of Wisconsin, born at Berlin, that state, on December 8, 1864, a son of William and Maria (Courtney) Freeman. Mr. Freeman's father was a native of the state of New York, born in 1839, and was a carpenter and bridge builder by trade. He came into the West when he was a young man about twenty years of age, and located in Berlin, near where he spent the balance of his life, his death occurring in 1912. His widow is still living and makes her home at New London, Wisconsin, with Leslie, brother of the immediate subject of this sketch. Mrs. Freeman was born on April 23, 1840, near Winneconne,
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Wisconsin, where her parents were engaged in farming for a great many years, being among the earliest settlers of that locality.
Fred Freeman was reared in Berlin, attending the public schools of that town, and when eighteen years of age became night clerk in a hotel, a short time later being made manager of the Woodroff hotel, of Berlin. He filled that position for six years and then moved to Superior, Wisconsin, where for the following eight years he operated a dray line. His next move was to Morrison county, where he became engaged in the restaurant busi- ness in Little Falls. At the same time he purchased an eighty-acre tract of land located in section 29, of Darling township, and became interested in agriculture. This land was wholly unimproved and he set about carrying out the plans which he had made for a handsome farm home. He continued in the restaurant business until 1905, when he took up his residence on his farm.
Mr. Freeman has a beautiful home, the residence being cottage style. size twenty-four by thirty-five feet, with a fine barn thirty by fifty feet, and all outbuildings neat and well adapted for such use as is desired of them. Attractively arranged grounds make for the beauty of this home, which is located about four miles from Randall and seven miles from Little Falls. Mr. Freeman has forty-four acres under cultivation, nine acres being in corn, and he takes particular pride and interest in his herd of graded stock. Mr. Freeman's business takes him away from home considerably, but in all his undertakings he finds a most able assistant in his wife, who is capable of managing the farm in his absence.
Mrs. Freeman, before her marriage, was Katherine O'Neal, who was born on April 23, 1864, at Chilton, Wisconsin, daughter of John and Anna (Sage) O'Neal, both of whom were natives of Ireland. Both of Mrs. Free- man's parents left their native land while still children, being brought to this country by their respective parents. and all engaged in farming in the same neighborhood in Wisconsin. There the young people grew to maturity and were married. Mrs. Freeman was reared on a farm and secured her ele- mentary education in the district schools near her home, supplemented with higher training in the Chilton schools. Mr. and Mrs. Freeman were mar- ried in 1885, and to their union have been born three children. They have had the misfortune to lose the youngest two, Mabel and George, the sole surviving one being Mand, the eldest of the family, who is the wife of J. W. Levins, of Two Harbors, this state.
Mr. Freeman holts his religious membership with the Baptist church,
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
while his wife is a communicant of the Roman Catholic church. In politics, he votes the Democratic ticket and takes a commendable interest in party affairs, although he has always been too much engrossed in other matters to devote any time to political affairs. His fraternal affiliation is with the Modern Woodnien of America, through their local lodge at Little Falls.
Mr. Freeman is a man who delights in keeping abreast of the times and all the work of his farm is handled in an up-to-date manner, the appear- ance of the entire place being highly complimentary to the owner. His duties away from home are most efficiently discharged, and throughout tlie years he is a man who has proven himself a man among men at every step in life. Vigorous and genial in manner, he has a host of friends and enjoys a high reputation because of the honest success which he has won.
CHRISTIAN MOLDE.
A life that almost thrills with its dramatic possibilities and one which gives evidence of the fact that success comes to the deserving, is that of Christian Molde, who, left upon his own resources at the age of ten years, has successfully mastered privation and crushed hardship until his name has become a synonym for achievement in the community in which he lives. His career lias been one of struggle through difficulties, long study and varied occupations. He has proved that a meager education need not neces- sarily be a handicap to success but an incentive to ambition and industrial triumph.
On the 18th of April, 1859, Christian Molde was born in Norway. He is the son of Hendrick Peterson and Grete Molde, both of whom died in Norway, their native land. For a short time the subject of this sketch attended the schools of Norway and at the age of ten, when he was thrown upon his own resources, his elementary education was cut short and he went to work for a farmer. His first start in a life of constant employment was received by herding cattle on a Norwegian farm. At this occupation he worked for six years, when his ambitions for a change led him to Sweden, where he worked for two years. During that time a life on the seas appealed to him strongly, and he seized every opportunity to learn more regarding the fisheries, which are by far the greatest industry in his native land. Upon leaving Sweden it is quite natural that he should have gone to sea. He embarked upon a fishing vessel, fishing for herring in the summer
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and codfish in the winter. This occupation furnished many experiences and Christian Molde remained with it for seven years. He decided to come to America, and left Norway on the 6th of February, 1882, and landing at Boston he went directly to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, arriving in the city on the IIth of March, 1882. His first employment there was with a construc- tion crew on a railroad between Brainerd and Breckenridge, Minnesota. He worked there until July of 1882, and went to Canada, where he worked for the Canadian Pacific railroad. In the fall of the same year he went to Minneapolis, where he worked for ten years in a saw-mill and lumber yard.
Although he fully appreciated the advantages of his early education, Christian Molde learned his real lessons in the school of experience. He was always quick to seize every opportunity for bettering himself, and one of his greatest chances for advancement came when he discovered that the best-paid men in his same field of endeavor were those who were called "scalers." His meager education only served as a stimulus, and he began at once under severe trials to learn to scale timber. At first the task seemed almost impossible, he studied at nights and in the winter when the mill was closed until finally the day of climax came and he had learned to scale timber. He was not long finding a place in that field of employment, and it is a remarkable fact, considering his individual preparation, that he was eventually considered one of the best scalers in the employment of the con- cern for which he worked.
In 1888 Christian Molde bought eighty acres of land in Morrison county, Minnesota, from N. C. Frederickson. Shortly after purchasing the land, Mr. Molde learned, to his disappointment, that the title to the land was worthless and as a result all his savings of years were lost. In 1892 Mr. Molde returned to Morrison county and bought eighty acres of land of a wild and unimproved character covered with timber.
During the first winter spent by Mr. Molde on the farm in Morrison county, he cut one hundred and seventy-five cords of wood from five acres. Ile began at once to build a house, and though he had no experience as a carpenter, he built a two-story residence without any assistance. The first barn on the place was made of logs, but in 1907 it was replaced by a thor- oughly modern barn of large proportions. At the present time he has forty- five acres cleared and twenty acres are in meadow. Mr. Molde has also added to his possessions by purchasing the tract of sixty acres of land adjoining his farin. He has an unusual grade of fine cattle and owns stock
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in the Swanville Creamery Company. He was treasurer of the same con- cern for three years. Mr. Molde, through his honesty in business dealings, has reached an enviable place in public confidence and esteem. He has held numerous offices, among which have been chairman of the town board of Swanville township. At the present time he is assessor of the township.
As a member of the Scandinavian Congregational church, Mr. Molde has exemplified much Christian charity and generosity. Aside from serving as clerk of the official board of the church he donated the ground for a brick church erected near his home.
In 1884 Christian Molde was married to Kristine Westgrund, a native of Norway, who came to this country at the same time her husband did. Five children have been born to this union: Henry and Harry, staying on the farm; Georgie, who lives in Minneapolis with her sister, Petra ; Alfred, who is a graduate of the Little Falls Business College and is now purchasing agent for the Butler Manufacturing Company, sheet metal works, located at Minneapolis ; Petra, who is the wife of Oliver Dolven, a laborer in Minnea- polis, and the mother of one child, Arnold Curtis.
It is interesting to note in closing a review of the life of Christian Molde that his first naturalization papers were taken out in 1884 and that he became an American citizen in 1895, a title he is proud to possess.
OLE NYGAARD.
Those who have fought the obstacles incident to establishing a com- munity in primitive surroundings, deserve a place of honor in the ranks of the pioneers in the state of their labors. Among the prominent men of Mor- rison county, Minnesota, who owe their success to the sterling traits of character which enabled them to clear the large tracts of wilderness and convert them into cultivated and attractive farm lands, is Ole Nygaard. Being a Norwegian by birth, he has naturally exhibited the racial character- istics of thrift and endurance which have characterized the people of his native land and has been a strong element in the citizenship which has con- tributed to the prosperity of Minnesota as an agricultural state.
Ole Nygaard was born in Norway, on the 27th of February, 1859, and is the son of Bjerte Erickson and Ragna (Erickson) Erickson. Eight of the twelve children born to this union are still living. The father, Bjerte
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
Erickson, was born in Norway in 1820, and was engaged in farming during the greater part of his life. He died in 1895. His wife was also a native of Norway, having been born in that country in 1823. She passed away in 1913 and is buried in Norway with her husband.
After completing his education in the elementary schools in his native land, Ole Nygaard saw more hope for a successful future in this country than in Norway; this fact led to his immigration in the year 1885. Upon arriving in America he went directly to Minneapolis, where for a number of years he worked as a stonemason. Mr. Nygaard, in 1899, left Minne- apolis and went to Morrison county, Minnesota, where he bought one hun- dred and sixty acres of land from a railroad company. The fact that the land was in an uncleared condition, did not discourage the owner. He pro- ceeded at once to grapple with the task of clearing the farm of its abundant supply of under-brush and timber. The work was long and tedious, but it brought with it the reward of visible results.
After its covering of wild growth has been removed the soil has been found to possess great qualities of richness. Mr. Nygaard has foreseen the possibilities of the soil, and has seized upon the opportunity to increase his land holdings, so that at the present time he owns two hundred and twenty- one acres, forty acres of which is in an excellent state of cultivation. For four years the only dwelling on the place was a log cabin of the most prim- itive type. At the present time, however, an attractive residence occupies the dwelling site. The house is a two-story structure of seven rooms and is modern. Mr. Nygaard gives part of his attention to rearing high grade stock. He is a shareholder in the Cushing and Randall creamery com- panies.
Three weeks before leaving Norway. Ole Nygaard was married to Engeborg Erickson who was born in Norway on the 2211d of February, 1859. They have become the parents of the following children: Bernard E .. who holds the responsible position of agent of the Northern Pacific rail- road; Ragna, who is deceased; Rudolph, who is a relief agent for the North- ern Pacific railroad, having filled that important position since 1908; and Elmer, who is living at home.
Mr. Nygaard in his political interests is an advocate of the principles of the Republican party. He has continued to give his support to the estab- lished church of Norway, the Lutheran church, and is one of its faithful members. In school affairs he has always been active and is chairman of the school board in Cushing township; he has taken a firm hold on public
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
confidence and holds the office of road supervisor, in the township where he resides.
Mr. Nygaard conducts a store in Cushing for the sale of farm imple- ments and is doing a very satisfactory volume of business.
CARL O. DALQUIST.
Among the worthy citizens of Randall, Darling township, Morrison county, Minnesota, is Carl O. Dalquist, the subject of this short biographical sketch. Mr. Dalquist's career has proven the fact that coupled with his innate honesty he possesses unlimited energy and a determination to succeed in life along legitimate lines. When a young man he came to this country and, without means or influential friends, has won for himself a pleasing degree of material success and the unbounded confidence and friendship of those with whom he comes in contact.
Carl O. Dalquist is a native of the land of Sweden, born on May 31, 1866, a son of Andrew and Anna (Nelson) Dalquist, being the eldest of their family of three. The others are Peter, who is engaged in farming in section 7 of Darling township, this county, and Axel, a section foreman on the railroad, residing at Randall. Andrew Dalquist was born in 1835, and from early manhood was employed as a farm laborer. He emigrated to this country in 1890 and settled in Ishpeming. Michigan, where Carl, the immediate subject of this sketch, had located some time previous. Carl was employed in the mines at that point for about four and one-half years and the father also worked as a miner for about three years. He then gave up active labor, as the burden of years was beginning to tell on him, and has since made his home with his children, living with his son Peter most of the time. The mother, who was born in 1845, is also living, making her home with her children, all of whom are doing well. Both parents are in good health, considering their years.
Carl O. Dalquist left Sweden in 1888, and after spending about four and one-half years in the mines at Ishpeming, Michigan, he came to Morrison county, where he has since made his home. Previous to coming here he had invested in some land in section 7, Darling township, and he 'now owns sixty-three acres, all improved with the exception of twenty acres, nine acres being planted to corn. His land is some of the most valuable in this section, lying, as it does, within the corporation limits of the city of Ran-
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
dall. In addition to his business as a farmer, Mr. Dalquist is largely inter- ested in the Randall Co-operative Creamery Company, and for the past four years has served as its president.
Carl O. Dalquist was married in 1888 to Hulda Johnson, who was also a native of Sweden, born in 1863. She left her native land in 1888 and her death occurred ten years later, within a few years after her marriage. She was the mother of five children, three of whom are deceased. David and Ephraim, the eldest two, are deceased, as is also Paul, the youngest of the family. Those remaining, Esther and Carl, remain at home with the father.
Mr. Dalquist is a faithful member of the Congregational church and is a most ardent supporter of the Prohibition party, taking a keen interest in the affairs of that organization. He has found time from his private business to serve on the city council and is of that class of men who most conscientiously perform any duty which devolves upon them. In view of this fact and because of his genial and friendly nature, Mr. Dalquist enjoys in a high degree the honest liking of a goodly circle of friends.
JOHN W. HANSON.
Those who think deeply enough will realize that the greatness of any community, state or nation, does not rest so much with the machinery of government or even with its instituions in themselves, but rather in the sterling qualities of the individual citizen in his capacity for high and unselfish effort and his devotion to his duties, whether they be of private or public nature. As a citizen of the class above named, the attention of the reader is called to a short sketch of the career of John W. Hanson, a farmer of Green Prairie township, Morrison county. Minnesota. Mr. Hanson has shown himself to be a man of kind and generous impulses and therefore stands high in the regard of friends.
John W. Hanson was born in Ironwood, Michigan, on October 22, 1889, a son of AAndrew and Augusta ( Anderson) Hanson, both natives of Sweden. Andrew emigrated to America in 1876, going directly to Norway. Michigan, where he secured work in the iron mines and where he remained for the next few years. He next went to Ironwood, Michigan. where he was employed in the iron mines for about twenty-five years. Finally tiring of this work and longing for the freedom of farm life. in 1903 he came to
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MORRISON AND TODD COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.
Morrison county and purchased eighty acres in Green Prairie township. A small portion of this land was improved and there were a few necessary buildings on the tract, but the greater number of acres were covered with wild brush timber. Andrew set about improving his buildings and clearing up the balance of his land. He succeeded well in his undertaking, later pur- chasing twenty acres of land adjoining his tract on the south. He also cleared that and made his home on the original plat until the time of his death, on March 31, 1913.
Andrew Hanson was twice married, his first wife being Augusta Anderson, a native of Sweden, who came to this country when a young woman. She was the mother of three children, the eldest being Jolm W., the immediate subject of this sketch, Julius E. and Arthur. Julius E. is a stationary engineer in Minneapolis, and Arthur is a street railway conductor in the same city. After the death of his first wife, Andrew Hanson married Augusta Swanson, also a native of Sweden, and to that union were also born three children. These are Ellen, Fred and Alfred, who make their home on the father's farm now in charge of John W.
John W. Hanson passed his boyhood days in Ironwood, Michigan, being educated in the schools of that town, and came to Morrison county with his parents. He started out for himself in life when a quite young man, his first employment being with the Mississippi and Rum River Boom Company, handling logs. He worked on the river in this manner for about three years and then went to Minneapolis, where he was employed as a street car conductor for about one year. While thus employed, he attended school at night and became proficient in the use of the Morse code, after which he entered the employ of the Soo railroad as operator at Wimbledon, North Dakota.
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