USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 106
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Reared on his father's farm and educated in the public schools of Wis- consin until fifteen years of age, Jacob Ament learned the cook's trade and followed it from the time he was fifteen years of age until he was twenty- eight years old. During this time he served as cook on various lake and river boats during the summers and in logging camps during the winters.
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After his marriage, however, he gave up the cook's trade and began farm- ing in Wisconsin on a farm of one hundred and twenty acres, which he had bought some years previously in Marathon county. After living on this farm for twelve years, or until 1900, Jacob Ament removed to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where he purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 20, of Bluffton township. At the time of this purchase the land was wild and unimproved. Consequently, Mr. Ament began immediately to break the land and to improve the farm by the erection of a house. In 1912 Jacob Ament bought an additional one hundred and sixty acres situated just northeast of his original tract and extending partially in the corpora- tion of Bluffton village. Still later, in 1915, Mr. Ament bought three hun- dred and twenty acres of land located in Blowers and Bluffton townships, which land he holds for his children. In 1914 he further improved his original farm by the erection of a new and modern barn, thirty-four by seventy feet, and a one-hundred-and-ten-ton silo, fourteen by twenty-eight feet. Jacob Ament is a man who has a passion for all mechanical labor- saving devices which by their installation add to the efficiency of his farm. He has installed a gas engine which pumps all the water used on the farm, separates the cream, does the washing and other work that greatly assists in removing the drudgery of farm work. He also possesses a gas power silo filler and an automobile, which eliminates waste of time in traveling and insures rapid transit. Mr. Ament also keeps good breeds of live stock, being a breeder of Hereford cattle, Poland China hogs and also a high grade of horses. On his farm he keeps about sixty or seventy-five head of cattle as well as a sufficient number of hogs to warrant the yearly shipping of two carloads to market. He generally raises about thirty-five acres of potatoes and ships them himself to the market of Breckenridge.
In 1890 Jacob Ament was married to Tillie Harrins, a native of Wis- consin and the daughter of Joe Harrins. a pioneer settler and blacksmith. To this happy union there have been born fourteen children, as follow : Clara, Maggie, Henry, George. Joe, Jubert, Freddie, John. Walter, Tony, Helen, Tillie. Hildegard, and an infant, who died unnamed. Clara married Theo- dore Kaufman and lives in Bluffton township. Maggie married Joe Sch- miesing and also lives in Bluffton township.
Mr. and Mrs. Ament are active and devoted members of the Catholic church. Mr. Ament, who is a Democrat, has always taken a great interest in the development of his community and has been most active in improving the roads and farming conditions of Bluffton township and Otter Tail county. Few men of Bluffton township enjoy a larger measure of success or com- miand the respect and esteem of a larger number of friends than Jacob Ament.
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GEORGE F. WOLLEAT.
George F. Wolleat was born on May 16, 1868, in Warsaw, Rice county, Minnesota. and is the son of William and Annie ( Cowan) Wolleat. His paternal grandparents were Michael and Adelaide ( Davidson) Wolleat. Michael Wolleat was a native of Pennsylvania. Adelaide ( Davidson ) Woll- eat was a native of New York. After their marriage most of their lives were spent in Rice county, Minnesota, where they removed in 1856, and where their death occurred. They were the parents of eight children : William, Benjamin, Harrison, Crosby, Michael, Lucy, Melvina and Sarah. The maternal grandparents of George F. Wolleat were John Wesley and Bertha ( Buchanan) Cowan, both natives of Indiana. In 1856 they removed to Faribault, Minnesota, where they both died. John Wesley Cowan set- tled in that location when the county was thickly populated with Indians. They were the parents of nine children: Andrew, Enoch, George, Frank, Annie, Martha, Elizabeth, Mary and Lucinda. Annie was born while the family were residents in Indiana, and removed to Rice county, where she grew to maturity, and where her marriage to William Wolleat was solemn- ized. Her husband died in 1803 and she then married John Epperd, but is now a widow. William Wolleat, father of George F. Wolleat, was a vet- eran of the Civil War, having enlisted in Company B, Eighth Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and served for three years. His two broth- ers, Harrison and Crosby, also served in the same company. After the war he became a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Annie (Cowan) Wolleat was a member of the Episcopal church. They were parents of twelve children: George F .. Addie, Lizzie. Jessie, Luke, Lloyd, Archie, girl triplets who died in infancy; Lina, who died when very young, and Raleigh. Addie became the wife of W. S. Orne and lives in Brainerd, Minnesota. Lizzie became the wife of W. H. Blackburn and resides in Ft. Ripley, Minnesota. Jessie married I. B. Hollister, and they reside in Spo- kane. Washington. Luke died at the age of seventeen years. Lloyd is an agent for Ward's Remedies and lives in Detroit, Michigan. Archie is a farmer and lives at Foxhome. Raleigh is a laborer living in Brainerd, Minnesota.
George F. Wolleat was reared on the home farm and received his edu- cation in the public schools of Morris township, Rice county, Minnesota. At the age of twenty-one he began agricultural operations independently, but later became an agent for the Singer Sewing Machine Company, and for several years was engaged in this work, both in Rich and Otter Tail counties. In 1900 he purchased a farm of eighty-six acres located in Corliss township, Otter Tail county, and resided there for three years. He then moved to Rush Lake township, where he purchased forty-five acres on the
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north shore of Long lake, shortly afterward adding one hundred and two acres of adjoining land. This property was virgin soil and heavily covered with timber, thirty acres of which are now entirely cleared, and among other improvements is a very comfortable home, in which the family now reside.
On October 27, 1892. George F. Wolleat was united in marriage to Minnie Myrtle Winslow, daughter of Theodore Winslow, a native of Fari- bault, Minnesota. They are the parents of ten children: Della married Albert H. Domschott and lives in Brainerd, Minnesota; Charles, William, Harold, Benjamin, Mabel, Donald, Olive. Jessie and Alice.
George F. Wolleat is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and in his political faith, a member of the Republican party. He has served his community in the capacity of school treasurer. He is a man of more than ordinary ability, and is well versed on all questions pertaining to the welfare of his community.
SIMON SESTER.
Simon Sester is one of four children born to the union of John Sester and Mary Guth, and his birth occurred on April 4. 1872, in Reeds Land- ing, Minnesota. John Sester was a native of Ohio, of French descent, and removed, when very young, to Illinois, where he was married to Mary Guth. After his marriage he followed the course of the Mississippi river, seeking a desirable location for a permanent residence, living in different towns, but finally settled for about five years in Reeds Landing, Minnesota. He later removed to the town of Alma, in Buffalo county, Wisconsin, where he resided until his death, in 1913. Mary (Guth) Sester was a native of Switzerland and emigrated to America with her parents at the age of four- teen years, temporarily settling in the state of Pennsylvania, but later remov- ing to Illinois. Her death occurred in 1908. John and Mary (Guth) Sester were devout members of the Catholic church. The names of their four children follow : William, who was a ranchman of Montana, and died in that state; Clara, who became the wife of Charles Braem, and lives in Alma, Wisconsin; Simon, the subject of this sketch, and Herman.
Simon Sester received his education in the public schools of Alma, and later learned the carpenter's trade, which he followed for eight years in the states of Minnesota and North and South Dakota. For three years he was a resident of East Dubuque, Illinois, removing to Otter Tail county, Minne- sota, in 1915, where he settled on one hundred and five acres in section 29, of Rush Lake township. IIe is also the owner of forty acres in section 19, the same township, which land he has owned since 1911. In 1895 he was united in marriage to Elizabeth Herold, daughter of Henry Herold, an old
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settler of this county. She is a native of Buffalo county. They are the par- ents of four children : Elvia. Joyce, deceased; Earl and Harvey, deceased.
Simon Sester has great hopes for the future in an agricultural way, and is improving his place in every way possible. The erection of a modern home and barn is being added to the other improvements, and his plans for engaging in the dairy business are fast being consummated. His cattle will consist of eighteen head of purebred Holsteins, and the public will be served to the best of his ability. Fraternally, he is a member of the Modern Wood- men of America and is independent in his political faith. He is a man worthy of sincere esteem.
ALBERT KORTH.
Albert Korth was born in Germany, February 25. 1859, the son of John and Caroline ( Beske ) Korth, both natives of Germany. Mr. and Mrs. Korth left their native land in 1883 and came to this country with four of the seven children born to them. Upon arriving in America they went directly to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where Mr. Korth bought forty acres of land in section 2. of Oscar township, and two hundred and thirty- five acres in sections 34 and 35, of Trondhjem township. One hundred acres of the tract was in a cultivated condition. Mr. Korth began at once to break the uncultivated sections of the land and to make extensive improve- ments, so that at the time of his death the farm was one of the most desir- able in that section of the county. John Korth was a man of unusual at- tainments and strength of character ; he and his wife were strong members of the Lutheran church, where they retained membership until their death. Mrs. Korth passed away in 1872 and her husband died in 1895. They were the parents of the following children: Minna, the wife of Charles Went- land, still resides in Germany: August, a farmer in Oscar township; Fred, who still lives in Germany: Albert, the subject of this sketch; Rhinehardt. who lives in Germany: Matilda, the wife of Deitrich Schierenbeck, of St. Paul, Minnesota, and Julia, who married Albert Sceibel, also of St. Paul.
The rudimentary branches of his education training were received by Albert Korth in the public schools of. Germany. His training on the farm in his native land also gave him valuable experience. He landed in America at the age of twenty-three years and went to work for his father. He served in this capacity until 1887. when his father's failing health made it necessary for the son to assume full control of the farm affairs. He bought his father's place as a result and has continued to reside on the place since that time.
In 1915 Mr. Korth erected a modern barn. designed with concrete foun- (lation and steel stanchions, which are built to hold seventeen head of cattle
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and about one hundred and twenty-five tons of hay. Mr. Korth has always taken an active interest in affairs pertaining to agriculture. He has served as director and organizer of the Rothsay Creamery Company and also assisted in the organization of the potato warehouse at Rothsay. In his political interests, Mr. Korth has always given his allegiance to the cause of the Republican party. His religious views are with the Lutheran church, of which he and his wife are both ardent members.
In 1888 the marriage of Alhert Korth and Elizabeth Leiseke, a native of Germany, took place. She is the daughter of Charles Leiseke, one of the earliest settlers in Elizabeth, the town in which he followed the occupation of a miller. To Mr. and Mrs. Korth the following children have been born : Ella. who is a teacher in the public schools of the township in which her parents reside, and who was educated in the Park Region Lutheran College and at the Moorhead Normal School; Lorinda, who is a student in the busi- ness college at Rothsay; Nita, who died at the age of four years; Florence, who remains at home, and Arthur, who died at the age of thirteen years.
CHARLES G. PETERSON.
Charles G. Peterson was born at Osta, Jutland, Sweden, October 31, 1858, the second son of Peter Carlson and Kristine ( Peterson) Carlson, both natives of Sweden. Peter Carlson was born on February 12, 1809, and his wife was born on December 8, 1825. The couple came to America in 1882, accompanied by two sons, the eldest son Peter, having already taken up his residence in this country. Upon their arrival in Minnesota they went to Fergus Falls, where for two years they made their home with Peter Peterson, who was established in a business there. Peter Carlson spent his last days on the farm owned by his son, Charles, and at his request was buried on the homestead in January. 1901. His wife is still living, at the age of ninety years. She is the mother of the following children : Peter, who follows the occupation of a carpenter in Fergus Falls: Charles, the subject of this sketch, and Walter, a painter at Fergus Falls.
Charles G. Peterson, after completing his education in the public schools of Sweden, took up the carpenter's trade, which he has continued to follow. He came to America in 1882 with his parents, and after a residence of two years in Fergus Falls took up a homestead claim of eighty acres in Otter Tail county, a place which has since been called. on account of its early development, "Peterson's Point." Mr. Peterson, aside from clearing the timber and cutting away the underbrush from the land, has built his own house and the barns on the farm and has laid out a number of roads. Although he follows the occupation of general farming, Mr. Peterson devotes a large part of his time to carpenter work, in which branch of
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employment he is a skilled workman. Evidence of his work may be found in all parts of the county and especially in the school buildings, to which he has given special attention. As a member of the Republican party, he has served as school director, in which capacity he executed the duties of the office in a manner deserving of the highest commendation.
The marriage of Charles Peterson to Hannah Hanson, a native of Sweden, took place in 1889. To this union two sons have been born : Fred, who is learning the carpenter's trade under the supervision of his father, and Oscar, who has charge of the practical management of the Peterson farm.
HARRISON WORDEN.
Harrison Worden is a native of Indiana, where he was born in Roch- ester, Fulton county, on the 6th of September, 1848. He is the son of Moses Harrison and Melissa ( Bristol) Worden, whose lives were examples of high citizenship and Christian charity. Melissa Worden was the daugh- ter of Henry and Melissa Bristol, natives of Massachusetts, who were descendants of stanch English stock. Her parents came to Indiana in the early forties and settled in Fulton county. Mr. Bristol was a school teacher and a farmer and gained distinction through his powers as a man of wide interests and worthy accomplishments. After leaving Indiana, he went to Wisconsin, where he settled in Henrietta township, in Richland county. He served as township treasurer and came into possession, through shrewd business ability, of large tracts of land. He and his wife returned, later in life, to Fulton county, Indiana, where they died in 1866. Their deaths occurred only a few days apart. Mr. Bristol was a man who was born to lead, and was recognized as an authority in every community where he lived. His life was filled with remarkable achievements and thrilling events. He was a soldier in the War of 1812, and looked back upon that period of his life as one of the most interesting stages. To Mr. and Mrs. Bristol the following children were born: Samuel, who followed the mason's trade and who died in Indiana ; Edwin, a farmer who died in Wisconsin; Melissa, the mother of the subject of this sketch, who was a school teacher; Harri- son, who followed the occupation of a mason and from whom Harrison Worden received received his training in that line of work, died in the fall of 1914, in Richland Center, Wisconsin, at an age close to ninety years; Lucy, the youngest daughter, married Lorenzo Culver and after his death became the wife of Jerome Tadder, and died in Richland Center, Wiscon- sin. The mother of Harrison Worden, Melissa Bristol, was born in Massa- chusetts in the year 1816. She spent her girlhood in Indiana and received more than the usual educational advantages of that period and locality.
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Before her marriage she taught school and after the death of her husband she again took up that line of educational work.
Moses Harrison Worden was born in 1808, in Ohio. He moved to Indiana, where his marriage took place, and there followed the occupation of a farmer. His death occurred in 1848, just three months before the birth of the subject of this sketch. Mrs. Worden moved to Wisconsin after the death of her husband, where she lived with her parents while she taught school. It was during her residence in that section of the country that she met Mr. Gwinn, whom she married. Her death occurred in 1854. She was a woman of remarkable force of character and high ideals and her death brought to a close a life of usefulness. To Mr. and Mrs. Worden the fol- lowing children were born: Clarissa, the wife of Edward Telfer, of Sex- tonville. Wisconsin; William, a farmer residing in Richland county, Wis- consin ; Angeline, who married Frank Handy, and who lives in Washing- ton: Eliza, the wife of Jerome Welby, who resides in the state of Wash- ington, and Harrison, a review of whose life is given in these pages.
Harrison Worden received his early education in the schools of Indiana and Wisconsin. He was reared by his grandparents on the Bristol side, and attended the public schools. On November 15, 1863, he enlisted in Company F. Second Wisconsin Cavalry, and served in the Civil War until December, 1865. Mr. Worden is one of the most interesting conversation- alists on war history in the section of the county in which he lives and relates with enthusiasm his experiences as a soldier. Mr. Worden had a place in the very heart of the cavalry activities. He was in the battles at Yazoo City and at Jackson, Mississippi. In the battles of Red Bone church he also took part, and was in the Greerson's raid, where fighting was car- ried on every day. During the fighting at Yazoo he was slightly wounded in the right side.
After his service in the Civil War, Harrison Worden returned to Wis- consin, and in 1866 left for Rochester, Indiana, where, as an assistant to an uncle, he learned the mason's trade. He lived with his uncle until 1871. and during that time also learned the trade of plastering. In the spring of 1872 he came to the part of Minnesota where Brainerd now stands. For a short time after his arrival in that locality he worked on the Northern Pacific railroad and had part in the building of the stations from Brainerd west to Bismarck. Mr. Worden has had the privilege of having taken part in the beginnings of things. He plastered the first building ever erected in Fargo, North Dakota. He was with the railroad company until 1872, when he went to Minneapolis. He followed the trade of a mason until 1880, when he decided to take up his residence in Otter Tail county, as a farmer.
Harrison Worden began the task of homesteading on one hundred and
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sixty acres of land winch were located in section 22, of Maplewood town- ship. The land was in a primeval state and alive with wild game. Mr. Worden built as his first piece of labor a log cabin and also a dugout which was used later as a cellar. During the time spent in homesteading, Mr. Worden continued to work at his trade. In every large building in the vicinity of his home he has done the plastering. He helped to build the Presbyterian church and since its erection has contributed generously to its support. In 1885 he added to his possessions by purchasing forty additional acres, which make the original tract of land a farm of two hundred acres devoted to general farming.
In his political relations, Mr. Worden is a Republican. He has served his party as chairman of the board of supervisors for twenty-two years. For six years he acted as treasurer of the school district.
The marriage of Harrison Worden and Martha Smith was solemnized on April 1, 1875. She was a native of Vermont and the daughter of Stephen and Sarah Smith, who were among the prominent residents of that state. Stephen Smith was for many years a central figure in the political affairs of Vermont, where he served in the state Legislature and in the Senate, and at the time of his death was a candidate for the office of lieutenant-governor. After his death, which occurred in Vermont, his wife married Mr. Hazelton and the couple moved to Wisconsin, where they settled in Richland county. Mr. and Mrs. Worden are the parents of four children: Harry Clemens lives in Erhard, where he is county commissioner; William Holden is a farmer in Kochiching county, Minnesota; Bernard E. lives in the home place, where he has part management of the farm, and Clara Elizabeth, the wife of Theodore Thompson, resides in Maplewood township.
SIGURD A. SYVERSON.
Sigurd A. Syverson. since early childhood, has lived in an environment of pioneer life. He has seen the very beginning of agricultural development in Otter Tail county, where he still resides. Although a resident of this community for a period covering thirty-five years, Sigurd A. Syverson spent the first years of his life in Helgeland, Norway, where he was born on July 1, 1875. He is the son of Andrew and Inga ( Johnson ) Syverson, the former of whom was born in Gulbrandsdalen, Norway, on the 24th of March, 1837, and the latter was born on the 14th of August, 1847, in Helge- land, Norway. Andrew Syverson, who was a landowner in his native land, followed the occupation of a farmer and a fisherman until the year 1880, when, with his wife and four children, he set sail for America. Upon arriving in this country he located in Scambler township. Otter Tail county, where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in sections 28 and 33.
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The farm was only partly cultivated and over two-thirds of the land was covered with underbrush. The first year of his occupancy of the farm, Mr. Syverson lived in a shack which was standing on the land at the time of his purchase. The following year he erected a dwelling which still remains in use on the place. In 1902 Mr. Syverson transferred the management of his farm to his son, Sigurd. Hle built a second residence which he occupies with his wife. Although he has been blind for the last six years, Mr. Syverson still gets a great deal of happiness from life, especially from the activities of his children, who are as follow: Annie, Mrs. Bernt J. Berg resides in Scambler township; George, a farmer, resides in Pelican Rapids; Sigurd, the subject of this sketch, and Rachel, the youngest child, who died at the age of seven.
Sigurd Syverson was reared on the homestead claimed in the pioneer days by his father. As a small boy he was taught the duties of farm life and upon reaching the age of manhood was fully equipped with methods of handling agricultural problems. In 1902 he rented the farm from his father and has continued to manage the affairs of the place ever since. He is a breeder of a high grade of Durham stock and of l'oland China hogs, of which he is the owner of forty head.
In political life, Mr. Syverson is a member of the Socialist party. He has served as township assessor and as a member of the school board. On the 16th of October, 1902, the marriage of Sigurd Syverson and Lena Clau- sen, the daughter of Casper Clausen, one of the oldest settlers of Pelican township, took place. To this union the following children have been born : Arthur, Lillian, Sadie, Jeanette, Hazel and Helen, all of whom are still at home with their parents.
PETER GOLDSCHMITZ.
Peter Goldschmitz is a native of Germany, and was born in that country on the 30th of December, 1868. His parents were Theodore and Gertrude ( Boelser ) Goldschmitz, both of whom are deceased. They were also natives of Germany and lived and died in that country. Peter's education was limited by reason of having to work while yet a boy and also as a young man. In 1893 he emigrated to .America, and his first location was in Doug- las county, Minnesota. While living in Douglas county, he followed the same employment that he did as a boy and young man in his fatherland, that of farm laborer. He worked on different farms which were largely of cleared land. From Douglas county he went to Todd county, Minnesota, and there bought eighty acres of wild timbered land. This land he cleared of the timber, and after improving same sold the farm, after having lived there for fifteen years. After selling out in Todd county, he came to Butler
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