USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 22
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NELS T. MOEN.
One of the active and progressive citizens of Fergus Falls, a good lawyer and writer and a good talker, gifted particularly with fine powers of description, is Nels T. Moen, editor and manager of the Ugeblad Pub- lishing Company and municipal judge of Fergus Falls.
Nels T. Moen was born in Freeborn county, Minnesota, May 26, 1866. the son of Tollet and Mary ( Nelson ) Moen. When Tollef Nelson was twenty-two years old, in 1856, he and his brother landed in Quebec, Can- ada, after a fourteen weeks voyage on the ocean from Norway. Upon arriving in Quebec, the two brothers borrowed enough money to reach their destination, traveling by land and by canal boat until they reached Michigan. From Michigan they walked several hundred miles, finally reaching their uncle's home at Big Canoe, Iowa.
Tollef Nelson and his brother farmed in lowa for a time and then moved to Waseca county, Minnesota, where they worked at farming on shares. Later they moved to the next county, Freeborn, and there worked in the same way. In 1868, they purchased a yoke of oxen and a wagon and moved to Otter Tail county, settling in Tumuli township. They each took a homestead near Dalton and there Tollef Nelson spent the rest of his life. his death occurring in October, 1805.
Tollet Nelson and his wife, who before her marriage was Mary Lar- son, were the parents of twelve children, four of whom died in infancy, those who survived being as follow: Carrie, who is the wife of T. O. Udbye and lives in Fergus Falls; Nels T., the subject of this sketch: Inger, who is now Mrs. P. C. Svensrud and lives on the old homestead: Lars, who also lives on part of the old homestead: Martin, who is a resident of Fergus Falls: Anton, who is a resident of Canada: Thore, who lives in Fergus Falls, and Eline, who married Emil Brusven and lives at Rothsay, Minnesota.
Nels T. Moen received his elementary education in the public schools of Tumuli township, this county. He first attended school in a dug-out. later in a log house and still later in a frame buikling. Ile remained on ?
NELS T. MOEN.
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farm with his parents until 1893 and, after graduating from the Red Wing Seminary, attended the University of Minnesota and was graduated from the law department of that institution. After finishing his legal education, Mr. Moen moved to Ada, in Norman county, but, subsequently, was offered the position of principal of the school at Halstead, which he accepted. In addition to his duties as principal of the school, he practiced law in the evening. In 1897 Mr. Moen returned to Ada, where he remained for ten years, having in the meantime been elected judge of the probate of Norman county, in which capacity he served for two terms. He also served as county attorney for one term.
In 1907. Mr. Moen, who is a vigorous and capable opponent of the liquor traffic, accepted the position of state attorney for the anti-saloon league of Minnesota, and served in that capacity for two years, or until 1909, in which year he moved to Fergus Falls. As a platform orator in behalf of temperance, Mr. Moen has few superiors in this state and to the cause of temperance he has given service equal to that of any man who has labored in this great cause.
After Mr. Moen's removal to Fergus Falls, he engaged in the practice of law. During the legislative session of 1911, he served as chief clerk to the re-apportionment committee and in the same year was appointed muni- cipal judge of Fergus Falls by Governor Eberhart. In 1912 he was elected to the same office. One year previously, Mr. Moen became editor and man- ager of the Ugeblad Publishing Company, the publishers of the Fergus Falls Ugeblad. the oldest Scandinavian paper west of the "twin cities."
In 1893 Mr. Moen was married to Betsy Johnson, who died in 1908. leaving four sons, Thomas O., Milford A .. Neal B. and Caroll. On Decem- ber 26, 1911, Mr. Moen married, secondly, Ingeborg Stortroen.
During the summer of 1914, Mr. Moen traveled in Norway and visited his ancestral home in that picturesque country. The Moen family are all members of the Lutheran church.
ANDERS A. BERGRUD.
Anders A. Bergrud, who has made a success of farming in Aurdal township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, is a native of Norway, born there on July 23. 1851, the son of Andrew .A. and Sigrid ( Hengsley ) Bergrud. both of whom were born in Norway.
Mr. Bergrud's parents came to America and to Otter Tail county. Minnesota, in 1883. His father died in this county in 1896. His mother is now living in Sverdrup, and is eighty-four years old.
Mr. Bergrud was educated in Norway and in 1878 came to Otter Tail (14b)
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county. Two years later he homesteaded eighty acres of land in the county and, shortly thereafter, erected good buildings on the farm. He now has one hundred and sixty acres of land in his home farm, and has added forty acres in section 21, eighty acres in section 21 and forty acres in another tract, also in section 21, all bought after the first one hundred and sixty.
On November 23, 1879. Mr. Bergrud was married to Sigrid Boen, who was born in Norway on November 7. 1856, and who is the daughter of Erick Trond Boen, mentioned elsewhere in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Bergrud have been the parents of five children, Celia Ida, Alfred, Theo- dore N., Inga and Henry. Celia Ida, born in 1880. is the wife of Olat Haave and has four children, Selma. Alvin, Benne and Margaret. . Alfred. born on November 25, 1881, was educated in the public schools and lives at home with his parents. He has charge of the farm and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He also owns forty acres of land in Aurdal township. Theodore N .. born in 1883, died in 1907. Inga, born in 1886, is the wife of Peter Weggeland. Henry was born on May 27, 1896.
Mr. and Mrs. Bergrud and family occupy a comfortable and com- modious home in Aurdal township and are among the most highly respected citizens living in this township.
ANDREW BRAATEN.
A successful farmer of Aurdal township, Otter Tail county, Minne- sota, is Andrew Braaten, who was born in Moore county, Minnesota, Sep- tember 4, 1869.
Mr. Braaten is the son of Eric and Gunel Braaten, both of whom were born in Norway, the father on September 27, 1827, and the mother on December 3, 1836. After their marriage in Norway, they came to America. in 1869, and settled in Mower county, Minnesota. Three years later they settled in Aurdal township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota. homesteading one hundred and twenty acres of land, where their son, Andrew, now lives, and where he was reared. Eric Braaten was able to clear some of this land before his death in 1902. He also made many improvements upon the farm. His widow is still living. They had a family of five children, of whom Andrew was the fourth. The other children were Hannah Karine. Ragnhild and Nellie. Of these children, Hannah is deceased.
Andrew Braaten was reared principally on the farm which he now owns. He was educated in the public schools of Aurdal township and, as soon as he was old enough, took up farming with his father. Mr. Braaten owns two hundred and eighty acres of land and occupies a fine residence.
Andrew Braaten was married in 1806 to Lena Aas, who was born in Aurdal township and who is the daughter of Christopher and Gertrude . las,
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early settlers in Aurdal township, Otter Tail county. Both of Mrs. Braaten's parents are deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Braaten have four children, Grace, Geneva, Erick and Amy.
Mr. and Mrs. Braaten are members of and take an active part in the Lutheran church of Aurdal township. The members of the Braaten family are also identified with this church. Not only is Mr. Braaten a most suc- cessful farmer, but he is a highly intelligent and valuable citizen in the con- munity where he has lived for so many years.
JOHN O. SVIEN.
John O. Svien, well-known farmer and citizen, who by the conduct of his life in the community, has won a prominent place in the ranks of citizen- ship, and who, as the result of an unselfish life in the interests of the town- ship and county, has a host of friends and appreciative fellow citizens, was born in Goodhue county, Minnesota, on April 25, 1872, the son of Ove J. and Ingred (Boe) Svien, Ove J. Svien being the son of Johannes and Anna ( Lunde) Svien, who were born in Norway and came to America in the year 1856, locating in the state of Wisconsin, later going to the state of Iowa. where they lived for some time and then came to Minnesota, settling in Goodhue county, where they spent their last days. Ingred Boe is the daugh- ter of Aslak and Bertha Boe, who were farmers in their native land of Norway, where they lived their entire lives.
Ove J. and Ingred Svien, parents of the subject of this sketch, were born in Norway, where the father lived until he was nine years of age, and then came to America, the mother coming with relatives when she was twenty-two years of age. On reaching America. Ove J. Svien became a farmer on eighty acres of land which he secured in Goodhue county, Minne- sota, on which he lived until the year 1896, and then moved to Grant county, Minnesota, where he bought two hundred and forty acres of land, which he farmed until the year 1912, at which time Ove J. Svien retired and moved to the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, where he still lives. Ove J. and Ingred Svien were the parents of eight children, John, Anna, Aslak, Bertha, Andrew. Henry, Emma and John Bonehard. In religions affiliation, Ove J. Svien and his family are members of the United Lutheran church.
John O. Svien received his education in the common schools of Good- hue county, Minnesota, after which he came, in the year 1896, to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, and rented a farm in Tumuli township, where he lived for two years and then he went to the state of North Dakota, homesteading a farm of one hundred and sixty acres, on which he lived for twelve years. in that state. After this time John O. Svien returned to Otter Tail county. Minnesota, and bought a farm of one hundred and sixty-three acres in
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Tumuli township, near the village of Dalton, where he now lives and follows general agricultural pursuits.
During the year 1905 John O. Svien was married to Lena Brekke, who was born in Tumuli township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, the daughter of Johannes Brekke and wife. To the marriage of John O. and Lena Svien were born two children, Inez Othelia and Truman Julian. John O. Svien and his wife and children are members and active workers and supporters of the United Lutheran church at Dalton.
In political life John O. Svien has taken no particular part, but has chosen to be a good citizen of private life and to serve his community. as he can, from the common walks of life and citizenship.
JOSEPH A. OTTE.
Among the younger men of Otter Tail county, Minnesota, business and financial circles, is Joseph A. Otte, cashier of the State Bank of Bluffton, a citizen whose life is proving of great value to the community, not only in the business world, but as a man who is interested in the development of his town and township to a greater and higher plane in the various lines of endeavor and activity in which they are engaged. A man of thorough cul- ture, one with excellent preparation for the profession in which he is so capably engaged. a citizen who in those things to which he has laid his hands has been peculiarly successful, and a man who because of the force and strength of his life has a host of friends and admiring fellow citizens. he is worthy of a prominent place in the ranks of leading men in Otter Tail county, Minnesota.
Joseph A. Otte was born in Stearns county, Minnesota, on November 4. 1887. the son of William and Mary ( Macks) Otte, both of whom were born in Germany and lived in that country until about the year 1880, when, having married, they came to America and located in Stearns county, Min- nesota. where William Otte settled on a farm one and one-half miles north of Melrose. William and Mary Otte were the parents of seven children, Mary. Anna. Bernard, William, Joseph. Catherine and Henry. In religious affiliation the elder Otte and his family are communicants in the Roman Catholic church.
Joseph \. Otte received his early education in the common schools of Melrose, Minnesota, later attending St. Joseph's University at Columbus, Ohio, for three years, and then pursuing a business and commercial course, including shorthand and typewriting at Sauf Centre. Minnesota, after which he accepted a position as first bookkeeper of the State Bank of Monticello, Minnesota, where he remained for two years and then went to Buffalo, Minnesota, and became deputy auditor for two and one-half years; then
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coming to Bluffton, Minnesota, he aided in the establishment of the State Bank of Bluffton, Minnesota, an institution of which he was made cashier. a position which he now occupies, and one which he holds in a most efficient and capable manner.
On May 22, 1911, Joseph A. Otte was married to Alice Granger, and has made for himself and his wife an excellent home, the hospitality of which is well known throughout the community. Joseph A. Otte and his wife are members of the Roman Catholic church.
Not only in the financial world is Joseph .A. Otte a success but in agri- cultural life, as the owner of a large farm, consisting of one hundred and twenty acres of well cultivated land, in Blowers township and. also as the holder of considerable stock in the State Bank of Bluffton, this worthy man has shown himself to be of a type of which the locality may be proud.
Ini public life Joseph .A. Otte has not neglected his duty as a citizen in the community, but has given of his valuable time freely for the promotion of local interests and he is now serving the village of Bluffton as its village clerk, in an unselfish and progressive manner, as is characteristic of this man whom all delight to honor and to whose character and worth all are willing to attest.
HENRY P. NELSON.
Henry P. Nelson, a prosperous farmer of Aurdal township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, was born on the old Aurdal township farin, August 10, 1888. and is the son of Nels E. and Methe ( Hallan) Nelson, both of whom were born in Norway, the former on December 17, 1844, and the latter on January 6, 1850.
Nels E. Nelson's parents were Ingebret and Aaste Nelson, both of whom were born in Norway and who came to America and settled in Aur- dal township in 1868. They took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres and both died on the homestead farm. Mr. Nelson's father came from Norway to Minnesota with his parents. He settled in Goodhue county and was also a pioneer in Aurdal township. Later he took up one hundred and sixty acres of land and made many improvements upon the farm, which he acquired from the government. After having made a large quantity of brick, he erected a magnificent brick residence on the farm and lived in this home until his death, in 1000. His widow is still living. They were the parents of five children, Peter, Ilaldon, Anna, Nels and Henry P. Mr. Nelson's parents were members of the Lutheran church.
Henry P. Nelson was educated in the public schools of Aurdal town- ship and reared on the farm which his parents owned. Mr. Nelson himself owns a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land in Aurdal township.
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which is a part of the old homestead. He also owns other land in this county. In 1911 Mr. Nelson built a splendid home on the farm. He is a general farmer and stockman and has been very successful although he is still a young man.
On June 28, 1913, Henry P. Nelson was married to Emma Bye, the daughter of Stephen and Betsy Bye, and who was born in Sverdrup town- ship. Mrs. Nelson's parents were early settlers of Sverdrup township. They have one son, Scarle LeRoy, who was born on March 29, 1914.
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are members of the Lutheran church.
NELS N. ROVANG.
A veteran of the Civil War, during the campaigns of which he made an enviable record, a pioneer citizen of Otter Tail county, who did much to make the district habitable in the early days, a citizen who in the public life of Tumuli township has shown himself to be a man of much worth, and one whose general life in the community has been such as to win for him a host of friends and admiring fellow citizens who delight in honoring his name, no record of life or review of events in Otter Tail county would be complete without reference to the career of Nels N. Rovang, the subject of this sketch.
Nels N. Rovang was born in Norway on July 19, 1839, the son of Nels and Anna ( Halverson) Olson Rovang, both of whom were born in Norway. where they made their home until the year 1850, when they came to America and located near the town of Madison, Wisconsin, living there for two years and then moved near the town of Decorah, Iowa, where Nels Rovang bought a farm of one hundred and sixty acres of land. on which he farmed for about five years and then sold his place and went to Wabash county, Minnesota, there buying one hundred and sixty acres of United States government land, for which he paid the sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents per acre. There, on a farm which he had improved until it was one of the most desirable of the township, the elder Rovang and his wife spent their last days. Nels and Anna Rovang were the parents of ten children, two of whom were veterans of the Civil War: Nels N., the subject of this sketch, who served until the end of the war, with Company A. Third Regiment Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and Christ, who served nearly four years with Company C, Tenth Regiment, Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, and who was killed in action at Nashville, Tennessee.
Following his service in the Civil War. Nels N. Rovang returned to Wabasha county, Minnesota, and in partnership with a brother-in-law. bought one hundred and sixty acres of land, on which they farmed for two years and then selling' their land, they moved to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, in the year 1868, and located in Tumuli township, where Nels N. Rovang home-
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steaded one hundred and sixty acres of land southeast of the town of Dal- ton, where he now lives in retirement with a son, who operates the farm.
On November 29. 1865, Nels N. Rovang was married to Ingeborg Johnson Dahlager, who was born in Norway, and who came to America and settled in the state of lowa with her parents, who were farmers. To the marriage of Nels N. and Ingeborg Rovang were born the following children : Martin, Anna, John, Julia, Christian, Emma and Otto. Mr. Rovang and his family are affiliated with the Norwegian Lutheran church, a congregation in which they are highly respected and esteemed for their lives and for their works in support of the creeds and policies of this denomination.
In the public and official life of Tumuli township, Nels N. Rovang is a citizen with a long and honorable record as a public servant, he having served for eight years as treasurer of Tumuli township, and for some years occupied the office of township supervisor, during which time much was done for the progress and advancement of the township and the county. Nels N. Rovang is among the esteemed citizens of the county.
CASPER LEIN.
Few men in the community life of Oscar township, this county, have taken a more active part in the civic affairs of that community than has Casper Lein, a well-known and prosperous retired farmer of that section of the county, who since 1871 has been a resident of Otter Tail county. Successful in his farming ventures, Mr. Lein also has been prominently con- nected with other enterprises of a profitable character and is regarded as one of the most substantial men in his community. For some years he has been living a life of retirement from the active duties of the farm, his broad acres long ago having been turned over to his sturdy sons and he is now "taking life easy."
Casper Lein was born in the kingdom of Norway on January 7, 1842, son of Jacob Lein, a farmer and deep-sea fisherman, who came to America in his latter days and died in Iowa, while on a visit to his son, B. M. Lein, in that state. Jacob Lein and his wife were the parents of seven children, namely : John P., who is living at Holt, this state ; B. M., deceased; Casper, the immediate subject of this biographical sketch; Jonas, who lives in Iowa; Mary, who lives in Pipestone county, this state; Christina, who lives in the eastern part of Montana, and Martin, who lives in Burleigh county, North Dakota. Jacob Lein and his wife, Mattie, were members of the Lutheran church and their children grew up in the strict observance of the tenets of that faith.
Reared and educated in his native country, Casper Lein did not come
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to America until he was twenty-six years of age. It was in 1868 that he landed in Quebec, shortly thereafter entering the United States, proceeding to Iowa, where for about two years he remained in Winneshiek county, engaged as a farm laborer. At the end of that time he decided to home- stead a farm in Minnesota and with that end in view came to Otter Tail county. the long journey being made by ox-team. Arriving in this county, he pre-empted one hundred and sixty-three acres in Oscar township and pro- ceeded to make a home for himself and his wife, he having married in Iowa, in 1869, Christine Moe, who also was born in Norway, and who through all their years of activity in this county has proved a competent and valuable helpmate to him. From the very start, Casper Lein prospered and as he became financially able added from time to time to his land holdings until at one time he was the owner of four hundred acres of choice land surrounding his home. As he retired from the active life of the farm. however, he. disposed of a part of this and turned the remainder over to his children, who are now managing the estate, he making his home with his son, Oscar, on the old home place.
To Casper and Christine ( Moe)' Lein nine children have been born, Olaf, John, Nicoline, Bernard, Sophia, Carl, Oscar, Matilda and Attin. Mr. and Mrs. Lein are active and prominent members of the Intheran church in their neighborhood, of which Mr. Lein has been the treasurer for the past thirty-four years, and their children were brought up to the faithful observ- ance of the tenets of that faith. Active in all neighborhood good works. Mr. and Mrs. Lein long have been held in the warmest esteem throughout that part of the county and no one thereabout has more friends than have they.
For years Casper Lein has served the public faithfully and well as a justice of the peace in Oscar township and since 1885 has been clerk of the school district. From 1873 to 1906 he served as clerk of the township and for thirty-eight years was the township assessor. He was postmaster from 1000 to 1906, at Oscar. During several decades he served the government as a collector of census statistics and also assisted several times in taking the census of the state of Minnesota. For twelve years he was the secre- tary-treasurer of the Oscar Township Farmers Mutual Insurance Associa- tion and is still serving as one of the directors of that excellent organization. He also is a stockholder in the Carlisle Elevator Company and owns a good- sized block of stock in the Carlisle Bank as well as in the Scandinavian Bank of Fergus Falls. The civic distinctions which have come to Mr. Lein during his long and busy life in this county are ample evidences of the regard in which he is held generally in the community and his friends very properly are proud of the honors which have been bestowed upon him.
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JOHN SANFRED KALLERMAN.
Born in Sweden, the scion of a sturdy race of farmers, swindled out of the possession of his farm in Sweden, a penniless emigrant to the United States, and now a retired farmer living in Wadena, Otter Tail county, Min- nesota, and a man who has the satisfaction of knowing that his has been a successful career in the agricultural life of Otter Tail county and that to him- self alone is due the success which he so deservedly has won-such, in brief. is the life of the person whose name forms the caption of this biographical review.
John Sanfred Kallerman was born in Skaraborgsland, Sweden, at the picturesque village of Skofde, on December 23. 1849. the son of James Olson and Cajsallesa Johnson, both natives of Sweden, the former born in 1809 and the latter in 1813. Both were reared to manhood and womanhood and married in Skaraborgsland. Jonas Olson came in possession of the farm upon which his ancestors had lived for so many generations and devoted himself to general farming. Both he and his beloved wife died on the old homestead, the former in 1878 and the latter in 1889. To Jonas Olson and Cajsallesa Johnson were born four children, as follow: Lorenzo, who is a prosperous and successful farmer living on a farm in Sweden; Matilda, who married John Larson and lives in Sweden; John Sanfred Kallerman, the sub- ject of this sketch; and Franz August, a major in the Swedish army, who lives at Stockholm.
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