USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 12
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In the spring of 1868, Andrew T. Lund married Annie Amundson, at Hudson. In the spring of 1879, he and his wife came by rail to Perham, Minnesota, and from there to Nidaros township they went by a team of oxen. After settling in Nidaros township they began the task of home- steading eighty acres of land, which was located in section 2. The farm. which was a wilderness, was gradually transformed into a cultivated tract of land under the management of Mr. Lund. After a short period of residence on the farm the community life in that section was brightened by the fact that the Northern Pacific railroad would cut through that town- ship. In 1881, the building of the road was completed and the village of Lund sprung up (which was later changed to Vining ), a place named in honor of the family of which Charles Lund is a member. To the village since that time, have been drawn other lines of enterprise until now in its attractiveness it remains a worthy monument to him whose name it honors.
During his early days on the farm Andrew Lund was not wholly occupied with its duties, he found time to enter other fields of work and on account of his ability was readily chosen as a leader. He became agent for the Andrews & Gage Grain Elevator Company, and as his business grew to large proportions, Mr. Lund was soon able to lease the elevator, and 'when his success was assured he bought out the entire plant. Aside from this line of work Mr. Lund was also engaged in the general mercantile business. in partnership with Ole T. Nyhus. For twenty years Mr. Lund held the appointment of postmaster and executed the duties of that office in an effi- cient manner. As he continued to succeed in various lines of business enter- prise, Mr. Lund from time to time added to his land possessions, until at the time of his death he was owner and manager of two thousand acres of land, and was known throughout that section of Minnesota as one of the largest landowners in Otter Tail county.
In 1904 Mr. Lund organized and placed on a firm basis the Bank of Vining. with he and his sons as stockholders. In 1908 the bank was incor- porated as Lunds' State Bank, with Mr. Lund as president, an office he held until December 16, 1908, when his death occurred. The bank had a capital stock of ten thousand dollars and a very handsome surplus at the time of the death of its president. In the affairs of education Andrew Lund always expressed a deep interest, and was often called upon to assist in school affairs. He served as trustee of Concordia College, at Moorhead, and also
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was trustee of St. Luke's hospital, at Fergus Falls, an institution he helped to organize. As a Republican he was honored with positions of high stand- ing and at the time of his death had held every township office. He was at one time a candidate for the Republican nomination to Congress and in the convention held the balance of power, which his withdrawal threw to the forces of Frank M. Eddy. As a candidate for the state Senate Mr. Lund gave another exciting race and during his life gave evidence of a deep enthusiasm for Republican party and its cause.
Andrew Lund was able to enter many fields of endeavor and carry out successfully every undertaking. He was devout in religious affairs and through his efforts the United Lutheran church at Vining was erected and placed on a firm foundation. As a member of the church he did everything in his power for its welfare. He donated the ground for its location and even solicited funds for the erection of the present building. Mr. Lund was president of the Sons of Norway. He was also a member of the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America.
Andrew T. and Annie ( Amundson) Lund were the parents of the fol- lowing children: Thea became the wife of Rev. J. C. Herre and is living in New York city; Melvin resides in Vining, as a farmer and a lumberman; Charles is the subject of this sketch; Oscar is a merchant in Vining; Harry A. manages the homestead farm; Andrew T. is president of the bank and is in the real-estate business ; Emil A. resides at Vining; Gundrun married Thoe Thoen, of Thoen Brothers clothing store at Minneapolis, and Boletta, who married William Huntington, a merchant, lives in Paynesville, Minne- sota. Mrs. Andrew Lund passed away on the 3rd of July, 1904.
Charles A. Lund was born in Hudson, Wisconsin, on the 14th of October, 1878. His early education was received in the public schools of Vining and after completing the common-school course, he attended school at Concordia College, from which institution he was graduated in the class of 1806. His education was completed in the St. Paul College of Law, from which he received the degree of LL.B. in 1904. He was admitted to the har but after a short time returned to Vining where he helped his father organ- ize the hank of which institution he has been cashier since its organization. The business of the bank has steadily increased and in 1913 a new brick building was erected, containing vaults modeled after those in the National Bank of Fergus Falls. The bank at the present time has over one hundred depositors. Mr. Lund is executor of his father's estate, though a large part of it was divided previous to his death.
The farm of two hundred acres near the village of Vining occupies a great deal of the attention of Charles Lund. He is a breeder of Shorthorn cattle of which he has forty-six head. His aim is to rear only purebred
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stock. In 1912 Mr. Lund erected a modern house and barn and has two silos on the place. The barn was destroyed by a cyclone.
Following the example of his father, Charles Lund has remained loyal to the cause of the Republican party. He is president of the village of Vining. He is a member of the United Lutheran church.
On the 30th of June, 1908, Charles A. Lund was united in marriage to Matilda Westberg, a resident of Fergus Falls, and the daughter of August Westberg. a member of one of the oldest families in Otter Tail county. To Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Lund the following children have been born : Corrinne Elizabeth, who was born on October 18, 1909, and Wesley Carlton, April 28, 1912, and died on June 30, 1914.
Mr. Lund has been chairman of the school board, succeeding has father in 1909. He has the honor of having built the first consolidated school in Otter Tail county, which is a step in advance of the educational system in this section. For a distance of two miles around the school site children are brought each day to the up-to-date building, where the influence is more lasting and the conditions more healthful than those found in the old- time district school of the rural community.
CHRIS EVJEN.
In 1880 Mr. Evjen left his native home in Norway for the more attractive advantages of the United States, and here he has acquired the reputation of being one of the most prosperous and successful merchants. At Carlisle, Minnesota, where he carries a modern stock of merchandise. his reputation for straightforward dealing is not only well known in that vicinity, but has reached far beyond the limits of the community.
Chris Evjen, merchant, of Carlisle, Carlisle township, Otter Tail county, was born on February 3, 1861, at Trondhjem, Norway, and is a son of Nels and Evjen ( Ingeburg) Evjen. His education was obtained at the public schools of Norway, and after finishing his studies, he assisted his father on the farm for a time, leaving Trondhjem, Norway. for America on April 14, 1880, arriving in this country on May 17. He first worked in Olmstead county, at Rochester, and on April 1, 1881. came to Carlisle and was employed on a farm at this place for a few years. In 1887 Mr. Evjen began farming for himself on a rented farm. In 1890 he bought the store which he now owns and operates, carrying on a general merchandise busi- ness. On March 18, 1801. Mr. Evjen was appointed postmaster of Carlisle, and in 1905 was made agent for the Great Northern railroad. He has been a large buyer of grain from the time of locating at Carlisle. Politi- cally, he has always been an independent voter in both local and state politics. He has taken an active interest in matters of local interest, serving
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as clerk of Carlisle township for twenty-eight years, and for the same length of time served as constable.
Nels and Evjen (Ingeburg) Evjen, parents of the subject of this sketch, were born in Norway, where they followed farming for a living. The children born to this marriage were: Louisa, Andrew, Regina, Rage- hild, Chris, Christian and John.
Chris Evjen was united in marriage, May 27, 1887, with Johannah M. Hexum, daughter of Martin Hexum, to which union the following children have been born: Ida, Carl, Minnie, Alta, Otto (deceased), Otto II, Elmer (deceased ). Elmer II and Mary.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Evjen hold the respect and admiration of a large number of friends and acquaintances at Carlisle and the surrounding terri- tory, where their success has been earned. Mrs. Evjen has been school clerk of this district for fourteen years. Mr. Evjen is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America, and is also a member of Lodge No. 59, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Fergus Falls. Both Mr. and Mrs. Evjen are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church.
OLE T. NYHUS.
One of the pioneers among the merchants of Otter Tail county is Ole T. Nyhus, who, in the early days of the town of Vining, established a gen- eral merchandise store and took an important part in the building up of business interests and the general welfare of the locality. Mr. Nyhus has been a successful storekeeper through a period of many years and a man whose citizenship has been of permanent good to the county and one who today is prominent in the public affairs of the town and vicinity.
Ole T. Nyhus was born at Rengerike, Norway, on August 22, 1859, the son of Truls and Christi (Knutsen) Nyhus, both of whom were horn in Norway, where the mother lived until her death, in 1885, after which the father, Truis Nyhus, in 1886,- came to America and joined a son. Sivert, of Henning township, Otter Tail county. In his native land Truls Nyhus was a small farmer, who cultivated well his limited acreage. To Truls and Christi Nyhus were born the following children: Knut, who is a retired farmer of Henning township: Ole T., the subject of this sketch; Sivert, . who lives on a farm in Henning township; Even, who died in Norway, in 1885; Inga, who married Knut Nyhus, and who lives near Bemidji, Minne- sota, and Hans, who is a farmer of Leaf Lake township.
Ole T. Nyhus, following his education in the public schools of Nor- way, worked at general farm duties until 1881, when he came to America and settled at Faribault, Minnesota, reaching that place on June 16, 1881. During the spring of 1882 Mr. Nyhns came to Otter Tail county and
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worked on the farms in this community for the next five years. In 1887 he established a general merchandise store in Vining, on a site next to that which he now occupies. When he organized his business, Ole T. Nyhus built for his storeroom a rude wooden structure which served until the year 1898, and then he erected a brick-veneered building, in size twenty-six by seventy-two feet, where he now conducts his business with a stock valtted at from ten to twelve thousand dollars.
Ole T. Nyhus established his business in partnership with Knut Uggen, who, in the year 1887, sold his interest to A. T. Lund, who continued in the conduct of the store with Ole T. Nyhus until the year 1908, when Mr. Lund died and his son, Oscar Lund, succeeded his father, in a firm under the name of Nyhus & Lund. This company is one of the oldest in the entire county, its senior member, Mr. Nyhus, being the oldest merchant in the town of Vining, Minnesota. The firm of Nyhus & Lund is not only a thorough success, with its thriving merchandise business, but the enterpris- ing proprietors have enlarged the scope of their business dealings and have added a real-estate department which is consummating some of the large deals in real estate of the locality. In addition to their regular stock, this tirin has acquired a farm of two hundred and forty acres of land in Folden township.
In politics, Ole T. Nyhus is a Republican and as a member of this party he has been elected to and served well on the town council, and also has been the occupant of the office of president of the village board. Mr. Nyhus is a leading member of the Norwegian Lutheran church at Vining and he is affiliated with the organization of the Sons of Norway. In private life Ole T. Nyhus has filled his place competently and graciously and he is recognized as one of the strong elements in the active life of Vining, and of Otter Tail county. Ole T. Nyhus has never married.
ANTON B. TRANA.
Without the opportunity for educational advantages, and denied special training for business, Anton B. Trana was able to apply the determined and persevering nature of the native Norwegian and rise to a prominent place in the public life of his community and to win the respect and esteem of his fellow citizens and associates. The life of Anton B. Trana is representative of a type which has done much for Otter Tail county, and he is a man whom the residents delight in honoring.
Anton B. Trana was born near Stenkjer, Norway, on October 28. 1874, the son of Rasmus and Johanna Trana, both natives of Norway, in which land they lived and were married. In 1882 they came to America and settled in Leaf Mountain township. Otter Tail county, where, in 1883,
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Rasmus Trana, took up a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. The land was covered with timber, which Rasmus Trana proceeded to clear, during which time he and his family lived in a "cellar," later building a substantial house, a place where he lived until his death, in 1893. Johanna Trana survived her husband and lives at Henning, she now being seventy- seven years of age. Rasmus Trana was of a quiet and retiring disposition. He was a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church, a congregation with which his widow now worships. To Rasmus and Johanna Trana were born the following children: John R., who is a farmer near Plaza, North Dakota: Martin, who conducts a feed-mill at Almora, Minnesota; Johan, a United States mail rural deliveryman at Henning, Minnesota; Albert, who is the proprietor of a restaurant at Almora; Mary, who married Iver E. Johnson, and lives at Norman. Washington: Anton B., the subject of this sketch; Richard, who died at Missoula, Montana, in 1903; and Gina, who married O. M. Trana, and lives at Colfax, North Dakota.
Anton B. Trana received but little education as a result of poor edu- cational facilities in the vicinity of his childhood home, and therefore Mr. Trana is largely a self-taught man. During his life Anton B. Trana has engaged in various lines of endeavor, among which was a position as grain buyer for the Andrews Grain Company. of Minneapolis, while he lived at Vining, Minnesota, from 1905 to 1915, when he was made the agent of the Dower Lumber Company, at Vining, a line of work in which he is yet engaged. In 1907 Anton B. Trana established a confectionery store at Vining, a business which he conducted until July, 1915, when he disposed of his interest in this business. During the administration of President Roosevelt, Mr. Trana was honored by his appointment to the office of postmaster at Vining, an office which he served with dignity and with efficiency for eight years. In political affiliation, Anton B. Trana is a Republican.
On May 5. 1903. Anton B. Trana was married to Julia Johnson, who was born at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the daughter of John S. Johnson and wife, who were carly settlers in Otter Tail county. Mrs. Julia (John- son ) Trana died on January 29, 1012. To this union no children were born. On June 10, 1914, Mr. Trana was married, secondly, to Lydia Pet- erson, who was born at Fergus Falls, Minnesota, the daughter of Nels Peterson and wife, Nels Peterson being one of the earliest settlers of the community. To the marriage of Anton and Lydia ( Peterson) Trana was born one son, Howard, who was born on June 13, 1915.
Anton B. Trana is among the men who have done great things for Otter Tail county and for the town of Vining, a man who has the con- fidence of all and one who, with his wife, occupies a conspicuous place in the various walks of life in the locality.
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FRANK FJESTAD.
Among the prominent citizens of Carlisle township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota. and one of its most successful farmers, is Frank Fjestad, who was born in Norway, November 12, 1847, and who is the son of Erek Haug and Tore P. Fjeld.
Mr. Fjestad's parents were farmers in Norway and reared a family of twelve children. They spent all of their lives in their native land. Frank Fjestad was educated in the common schools of Norway and in June, 1867. came to America. From June to December, 1867, Mr. Fjestad lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and from La Crosse he emigrated to the state of Texas, where he remained a year and one-half, working for a gardener. He returned to La Crosse and then moved to Fillmore county, Minnesota, but remained there scarcely a week, when, in 1869, he moved to Carlisle township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres, the farm upon which he now lives. The land was a barren waste at that time and there was not even a tree standing on the entire farm.
Mr. Fjestad has erected all of the buildings and has made all of the improvements upon the land, as well as planted all of the trees. He has done most of the improving with his own hands. When Mr. Fjestad started in life he had only fifty dollars, one cow and a pair of steers. Today he owns nine hundred and ninety aeres of land, all of which is well improved, besides many thousand dollars' worth of personal property. Shortly after he settled on his claim, he started freighting for the government and the first year hauled freight from St. Cloud to the forts. Later he hauled freight from Benson and was employed in this business altogether during a period of three years.
Later, Mr. Fjestad hauled flour from Fergus Falls to all surrounding points, including Morehead. Subsequently, however, he engaged in farm- ing, and his life in these early days was a hard struggle, as his farm was far from a railroad. It was thirty-five miles to the postoffice and sixty miles to mill. Nevertheless, Mr. Fjestad prospered from year to year and. as the years wore on, gradually accumulated more and more land and added to his possessions.
In 1872 Frank Fiestad was married to Taaline P. Spaberg, who was born on May 5, 1855. in Norway. To them have been born ten children : Edward F., who was born on November 18, 1873: Peter F., October 22, 1875: Clara F., deceased. December 16. 1877: Theodor F., January 5. 1870, died in infancy: Thea F., October 18, 1881: Ellen F .. deceased. October 28. 1883: Theodore Alfred. December 20, 1886: Inga Marie. May 17. 1880: Lena. May 26. 1893; and Oscar Ferdinand. December 5, 1805.
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Mr. and Mrs. Fjestad and all of the members of their family are identified with the Norwegian Lutheran church in Carlisle township. Mr. Fjestad is a Republican in politics. He has served as township trustee and has been treasurer of the township since its organization. For many years he was a school director and is now treasurer of the school board. He is also treasurer of the Farmers Elevator Company at Carlisle.
There is no better-known citizen in Carlisle township and, in fact, in the adjoining townships than Frank Fjestad. No man has taken a more prominent part in public affairs than he and no man is more capable natur- ally of aspiring to the position of leadership than the subject of this sketch.
HANS O. LARSON.
Hans O. Larson, who is conducting a successful mercantile business at Battle Lake, Minnesota, where he is a member of the firm of O. C. Nelson & Company, is a native of Goodhue county, Minnesota, born there on September 9, 1869.
Mr. Larson is a son of Ole and Catharine ( Hansen) Larson, natives of Norway, the former of whom was born on January 13, 1841, and the latter on November 12, 1840. Ole Larson and family emigrated to America in 1867, settling first in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and in 1870 they removed to Otter Tail county, taking a homestead in Clitherall township. They also owned forty acres of land in Sverdrup township. They were the parents of three children, Hans O., Lauris and Minnie, the last named being the wife of Alfred Okeson, of North Dakota. Ole Larson and all his fam- ily are devout members of the Free Lutheran church.
Hans O. Larson was reared in Otter Tail county, Minnesota, and received his education in the public schools of his home township. He lived on his father's' homestead farm until he reached the age of eighteen years. when he was employed as a clerk by Mr. Albertsen, of Battle Lake, with whom he remained for seven years. He then entered the employ of O. C. Nelson, and after eight years of service became a member of the firm. which was organized in 1907.
Ilans O. Larson was first married, in 1892, to Bertha .Andersen, who was born in Norway in 1872, the daughter of Alfred Andersen. After her mother's' death, in Norway, Bertha Andersen came with her father to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, in 1879, and located in Tordenskjold township. Alfred Andersen now lives in North Dakota. Hans O. Larson and his first wife were the parents of two children. Oliver Alexander and Leonard Morgan. The mother of these children died in 1800, and on September 6. 1911. Mr. Larson was married to Martha Scott, who was born in Clitherall township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, a daughter of Andrew and Anne
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( Julius) Scott, both of whom were natives of Denmark, who emigrated to America and settled in Otter Tail county. Mrs. Martha Larson's mother died in 1914, while her father still lives on his farm in Clitherall township.
Mr. and Mrs. Larson and family are members of the Free Lutheran church, and take an active interest in the affairs of the church. Mr. Lar- son has served three years as a member of the town council at Battle Lake. He is a Republican, and takes considerable interest in local and national political affairs.
JOHN KJER.
The gentleman whose name appears above, although a native of Wis- consin. is of Norwegian lineage, and it is with a certain degree of pleasure and satisfaction that a briefly outlined biographical sketch is here presented for perusal, and also as a matter of future reference for the progeny which he leaves behind.
John Kjer, farmer, of Fergus Falls, Carlisle township, Otter Tail county, was born on August 28, 1864, in Portage county, Wisconsin, and is a son of Goren and Martha Kjer. His education was obtained at the public schools of his native county, after which he was employed with his father on the farm until twenty-one years of age, when he began farming for himself on the place which he still owns in Carlisle township, where he resided until 1806, when he moved to South Dakota and took up a home- stead of one hundred and sixty acres, in which venture he was fairly suc- cessful. In 1900 Mr. Kjer sold his farm in South Dakota and moved back to his home in Carlisle township, Otter Tail county, which he has improved with substantial buildings, and where he carries on general farming and stock raising. Politically, he has always given his support to the Republi- can party, but has never sought public office.
Goren and Martha Kjer, parents of the subject of this sketch, were both born in Norway, where Mr. Kjer as a young man was a day laborer, coming later to America and settling in Portage county, Wisconsin, where he took up a homestead. During the summer before the Great Northern railroad was built through Fergus Falls, he came to Otter Tail county and bought two hundred acres in Carlisle township, to which he afterward added one hundred and twenty acres more, where he spent the remainder of his life in agricultural pursuits. Mr. and Mrs. Kjer were the parents of nine children. Politically, Goren Kjer was a Republican, and in religion, he belonged to the Norwegian Lutheran church.
John Kjer was united in marriage, in 1898, with Mary Arlandson, by whom he has had three children : Edward, John and Myrtle.
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Mr. Kjer is a man of upright character, and his splendid farm, which he keeps to a high standard, is one of the attractive places of Carlisle town- ship.
NICOLAI O. FIELD.
Nicolai O. Field, a well-known citizen of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, who is engaged in the postal service at Olympia, Washington, is a native of Carlisle, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, where he was born on October 22, 1874.
Mr. Field is the son of Ole N. and Anne (Thorpe) Field, and the grandson of Nels Fjeld, as the name was spelled in Norway. Ole N. Field emigrated to America in 1868 and immediately thereafter came west to Fillmore county, from which place, in 1870, he moved to Carlisle, Otter Tail county. Here he took a homestead and lived until his death. There were three children in the family, two of whom are living: Peter O., of Frazee, Minnesota, a well-known citizen, merchant and mayor of the city; and Nicolai ()., who is clerk in the postoffice in Olympia, Washington.
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