History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Mason, John W. (John Wintermute), 1846- 4n
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1156

USA > Minnesota > Otter Tail County > History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II > Part 64

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Coming from a representative family in Norway, it is not at all surpris- ing that Senator Sageng has achieved success in his adopted home and country. His grandparents, Hans H. and Ingaborg Sageng, were promin- ent farmers in their native land, and it is from these sterling ancestors, no doubt, that he has inherited those worthy traits which have enabled him to succeed in a new country. Having come to America when he was a mere lad, Senator Sageng knows no country other than the United States and loves no other state so well as his own state of Minnesota, which he has served so faithfully and so well for many years.

ANTON GLENDE.

Anton Glende, a successful farmer of Everts township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, was born on February 3, 1857, in Norway. He is the son of Andrew and Kare ( Bye) Glende, both of whom were natives of Norway. The former was born in 1823 and the latter about the same year. They were married in Norway and there both died. Mr. Glende's father died in 1857, when Anton Glende was about one week old. His mother died in 1867. They were the parents of five children: Anna Mary, Karen, Frick, Andrew and Anton. After the death of her first husband. Mrs. Glende was married, secondly, to Even .Anderson, and to them was born one child, Thore.

Anton Glende was educated in Norway. In 1871 he accompanied his stepfather, Even Anderson, to America. The latter took a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres in Everts township and here died in 1903. Mr. Glende grew to manhood on the farm which his stepfather had bought. He owns one hundred and sixty acres of land in Everts township, upon which he has lived since 1879. Mr. Glende has cleared the land and erected substantial and commodious buildings. He is a general farmer and stock raiser.

In 1882 Anton Glende was married to Mathea Stenmark, a native of Norway, where she was born in 1862. Mrs. Glende is the daughter of John and Karen Stenmark, who moved to Rice county, Minnesota, in 1870. Later they came to Otter Tail county, and here Mrs. Glende's father died. Mrs. Glende's mother is living in Everts township.

Eleven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Anton Glende, as

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follow: Arnt Cornelius, born on September 2, 1882; Caroline, May II. 1884: Amelia ' Louise, May 6, 1886; Martin, September 4, 1888; John Alfred. April 3. 1801: Clara Jorgine. November 20, 1894: Marvin Julius, February 15, 1807: Eleonora, July 5, 1899: Alyda Matilda, April 12, 1902; Anton Helmer, November 30, 1905. and George Leonard, October 2, 1908.

Mr. and Mrs. Anton Glende and family are members of the Lutheran church. The family is well known and respected in Everts township.

JOHN PETER MAJAV.A.

Of those men from the country of Finland who have come to America and established themselves in Otter Tail county, where they have had no small part in the development of the locality and its resources, John Peter Majava, the subject of this sketch, is representative of those who have proved successful and who have shown themselves to be citizens of real worth to the community.

John Peter Majava, the subject of this sketch, was born in Finland, April 14, 1862, the son of David and Brita Majava, who lived their entire lives in their native country of Finland, where David Majava was a farmer and landowner. David and Brita Majava were the parents of the following children : Alex, a farmer of Newton township: Elsie Mary, who lives in Finland: Kate, who lives in Finland: John Peter, the subject of this sketch; Anna Brita, who died in childhood; David, who died in Finland, and Mar- garet, who died in Finland.

John Peter Majava was educated in the public schools of Finland, after which he worked on a farm until twenty-two years of age, when he came to America and settled in Calumet. Michigan, where he worked in the woods of that district for three years, and then came to the state of Minne- sota, and located in Otter Tail county, where he and a brother, Alex. bought eighty acres of land in Newton township. After clearing his land and improving the place with better buildings. John P. Majava sold this farm and then bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 4. of Newton township, a place which he has supplied with new buildings and has otherwise improved until it is now one of the best improved farms of the locality.

John Peter Majava was married to Katie Mary Pary, a sister of Olaf Pary, one of the best known citizens of Otter Tail county, and of the town of New York Mills. To the marriage of John and Katie Majava were born three children: Jalmar Rudolph, who was born on March 4. 1901 : Walfred. May 12. 1904, and Elsie Katherine, September 26, 1906.

John Peter Maiava and his wife are leading members of the Finnish

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Lutheran church at New York Mills, a congregation which they serve and which they support devotedly and unselfishly and with the membership of which church they are of prominent standing.

John P. Majava is one of Newton township's most appreciated citizens, one who gives of his time and of his interest for the betterinent of the county and the more immediate neighborhood.

JOHN N. BROGARD.

One of the best-known citizens of Henning township, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, is John N. Brogard, who was born in Sweden, October 29, 1849, and who is the son of Nels and Ingre (Jensen) Brogard. Mr. Brogard's parents were both natives of Sweden. His father died at the age of about eighty-three years, and his mother at about the same age. The latter was born in Sweden, but his father was a native of Norway, and a music director. Mr. and Mrs. Nels Brogard were the parents of four children, John, Andrew, Hans and Ingre, the two latter being deceased.

John N. Brogard was educated in the public schols of his native land. He lived with an auctioneer in Sweden and. for a number of years, did the auctioneer's writing. He attended the agricultural schools of Sweden for three years and then attended business college for six months. Finally, he was sent to Brandenburg, Germany, to obtain reports concerning agricul tural conditions there. These reports were used extensively in the agricul- tural schools of Sweden. Afterward Mr. Brogard was a bookkeeper for three years on a large farm where nine hundred cows were kept, which required eighty people to do the milking.

In 1878 Mr. Brogard received a permit to come to the United States. After traveling in this country for two years, he returned to Sweden, where he remained for six months and then came back to the United States in 1881. For the next two years he was employed as an engineer, after which he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 27, of Henning township, and now owns two hundred and forty acres. He planted a mag- nificent grove of trees on the farm and made many improvements. He also planted about one hundred and fifty fruit trees and has a thoroughly modern farm at the present time. His buildings are all in good condition and are all well painted. The barn is thirty-four by eighty feet. Mr. Brogard keeps Shorthorn cattle and sells a great number every year. He was the first man in this part of Minnesota to experiment with red clover. He made a very great success with red clover from the start.

On May 6, 1803. John N. Brogard was married to Ellen Parson, a native of Sweden. where she was born in 1866. She is the daughter of

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Nels and Ellen Parson, who came to Otter Tail county in 1890. Mrs. Brogard's mother died in 1910, and her father is still living. To Mr. and Mrs. John Brogard have been born seven children, all of whom are living, Ida, Nels. Harold, Olga, Adric. Esther and Emmet, the last two being twins.

Mr. and Mrs. Brogard and family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church at Henning. Mr. Brogard has always been prominent in local politics. He has served as supervisor of his township and has held other positions of trust and responsibility of a local nature.

JOHN A. JOHNSON.

John A. Johnson, prosperous farmer and well-known citizen of New York Mills, Otter Tail county, Minnesota, was born in Finland, March 2, 1865, the son of John .A. and Kate Johnson, both of whom were natives of Finland, where they lived their entire life, the former dying in 1910, the latter in 1871. John A. and Kate Johnson were the parents of four children, Jacob, John A., Albert and Kate.

Following his school days in Finland, John A. Johnson came to America and, in 1886, shortly after his arrival in this country, he went to the state of Montana, where he was employed for seven years in gold and silver mines of that region. In 1893 Mr. Johnson came to Otter Tail county and located at New York Mills, near where he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 8, Newton township, a place which he improved and to which he later added forty acres in Homestead township. During the year 1893, after one and one-half years' residence in New York Mills, John A. Johnson went to the Black Hills, where he again took up his work in the mines, returning eight months later to New York Mills, after which Mr. Johnson again went to the Black Hills, working as a miner for two years. At the time of gold discovery in Alaska, John A. Johnson made a journey to the Klondike region, where he mined for three years and then came back to New York Mills, a place which has been his home since. To his original farm in Newton township. John A. Johnson has added land until he now is the owner of two hundred and forty acres, one hundred and sixty acres of which is within the corporate limits of New York Mills. Mr. Johnson has improved his place with one of the best houses of the community, has erected a modern silo and has constructed such other buildings as add to the completeness of a modern farm and home. John A. Johnson now engages extensively in general farming and in stock raising, together with the conducting of a modern dairy business.

During the year 1800 John A. Johnson was married to Sophia Hen-

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dricksen, who was born in Finland in 1872, the daughter of Henry Hen- dricksen and wife, who were pioneers of Bryan, South Dakota. To the marriage of John and Sophia Johnson have been born the following chil- dren: Mamie, who married Martin Sondergard, a butter manufacturer of Storden, Minnesota ; Winnie, Ernest, Senia, George, Lucina, Edna, Oscar, Beulah, Russell and Byron. Mr. Johnson and his family are members of the Lutheran church.

John A. Johnson is affiliated with the business life of New York Mills as a member of the Farmers Shipping Association, and in the public life of the community Mr. Johnson has done no little for the township and for his town, as a member of the council, an office which he has served for seven years. In fraternal circles, John A. Johnson takes an important part in the affairs of the Modern Woodmen of America lodge at New York Mills, an organization of which he has been an honored member for eight years.

MIKKEL RINDAL.

Born in Norway, October 30, 1839, Mikkel Rindal, a prominent citizen of Sverdrup township, who has enjoyed a large success in agriculture, is the son of John E. and Britt (Almberg) Rindal, both of whom were natives of Norway. Mikkel Rindal's father was born in Norway on August 12, 1812, and his mother in February, 1814.

The late John E. Rindal died in Norway in 1873 and, after his death, his widow came to America in 1875 and settled in Otter Tail county, where she died in 1882. To John F. and Britt (Almberg) Rindal were born eleven children : Anne, Even (deceased ), Mikkel, Bridt (deceased), Bridt (deceased), John ( deceased ), John, Bridt, Johannas, Ingeborg (deceased) and Ingebregt.

Mikkel Rindal was reared in Norway and was educated in the public schools of his native land. He came to America in 1875 with his mother and shortly thereafter settled in Otter Tail county. Three years later he homesteaded one hundred and fifty acres of land and, during the next few years, made many improvements upon this land.

Three years after coming to America, Mikkel Rindal was married in Otter Tail county, Minnesota, to Rannei O. Anne, who was born in Nor- way in 1848, and is the sister of Ole O. Anne, a prosperous farmer of Sverdrup township. Mr. and Mrs. Rindal are the parents of five children : Mary, deceased: John, who was born on the old homestead on August 18, 1880, educated in the public schools of this township, and lives at home on the farm; Ole, who was born in 1882, was also educated in the public

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schools and is now a farmer: Mary, born in 1884, is the wife of John Pahan, of Pingree, Stutsman county, North Dakota, and Berntine, who was born in 1886. lives at home with her parents.

All of the members of the Rindal family are identified with the Luth- cran Brothers church. They are prominent in religious affairs and are widely known in this community as deserving citizens and successful farm- ers.

CORNELIUS B. ERICKSON.

Cornelius B. Erickson is one of fourteen children born to the union of Berger and Olena ( Alberts) Erickson, both natives of Norway, and his birth occurred in 1865 in Adams county, Wisconsin. The marriage of Berger and Olena ( Alberts) Erickson was solemnized in their native land and they emigrated to America in 1852, locating in Wisconsin, where he followed his trade of tailor until the age of forty years, at which time he was compelled to discontinue the vocation he had planned as his life work, on account of the failure of his eyesight, and engage in agricultural pur- suits. While a resident of Wisconsin, Berger Erickson was the owner of a farm but never cultivated the soil until his removal to Otter Tail county. Minnesota, in 1871, when he became the purchaser of school land, located in section 36. Dane Prairie township, on which he still resides, at the advanced age of ninety years. His wife, Olena (Alberts) Erickson, passed to her eternal rest in the spring of 1911, leaving her husband and her nine surviving children to mourn her loss., Besides an original purchase of land, Berger Erickson entered a homestead, located one-half mile north of his first tract and added more until the farm now consists of three hundred and twenty acres of land, very well improved. He is a veteran of the Civil War, having served in the Wisconsin volunteer infantry.

The paternal grandparents of Cornelius B. Erickson were Erick and Petronelle Erickson, both natives of Norway, the death of the latter hav- ing occurred in that country, but the former emigrated to America after the death of his wife and died at the home of his son, Berger Erickson. in Wisconsin. The maternal grandparents of Cornelius B. Erickson were Ole and Sigre Alberts, both natives of Norway, where they lived and died.

Cornelius B. Erickson received his education in the district schools, and while very young discontinued his studies to assist his father with the work on the home place and when twenty-four years of age purchased the farm on which he still resides. This investment was arranged in the fall of 1880, but his residence on the same was not effected until the following spring. The house was built of logs and all improvements were very poor,

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but owing to his thrift and well-directed energy, new buildings have been erected and they are very excellent ones, indeed. General agriculture and stock raising is the system on this well-managed farm. A specialty of Shorthorn cattle is made and a dairy herd, of from twelve to fifteen head, is constantly kept on hand.

Cornelius B. Erickson was united in marriage to Olena Bakke in 1887, and to them have been born four children: Benjamin, Clarence, Palmer and Clinton. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church and are earnest supporters of that faith. Olena ( Bakke) Erickson is a native of Iowa.

Cornelius B. Erickson has a reputation of high repute, as is evidenced by the many positions of trust which he has held, two of the offices having been town supervisor and township treasurer. He served eight and three years, respectively, in these offices. The original farm of Cornelius B. Erickson consisted of one hundred and seventeen acres, but this has been increased until, at the present time, he owns two hundred and fifteen acres. Cornelius B. Erickson is a brother of Ole and Bennie Erickson, mentioned elsewhere in the pages of this history.

J. H. WELCH.

Of those citizens who have been a success in agricultural pursuits and who have done their part in the development of the community and have now retired to the more quiet walks of life, J. H. Welch, the subject of this sketch, is one of the best known and one of the most highly respected. A man who saw his efforts prosper, not only as a farmer, but as a man in public life and a citizen who is able to look back upon a life well spent, he is a worthy part of a work of this kind.

J. H. Welch was born in the state of Pennsylvania, June 12, 1850, the son of James Welch, who was born in Ireland, and of Harriette (Varga- son ) Welch, who was born in Bradford county, Pennsylvania. James Welch, following his education in his native land, came to America, about the year 1840, and settled in the state of Pennsylvania, where he followed his trade as a contractor and public worker for some years, he also marry- ing there, a marriage to which were born the following children: Abbie, who lives in Pennsylvania: Frederick, a farmer and bridge worker, who died in 1902; J. H .. the subject of this sketch: John, a mail carrier, who is deceased: William, who lives at Athens, Pennsylvania: and George, who died at New Brunswick. Canada. James Welch and his family were men- bers of the Catholic church. but later he joined the Protestant church.

J. H. Welch was educated in the common schools of Bradford county,

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Pennsylvania. after which he went to the state of lowa, in the year 1865. locating in Buchanan county, where he worked on a farm for some years. In the year 1890 he came to Otter Tail county, Minnesota, and settled in Inman township, where he bought eighty acres of land, for which he paid the sum of twenty-five dollars per acre, and after living on the farm for thirteen years he disposed of his place, receiving for it the sum of seventy- five dollars per acre. During the year 1913 J. H. Welch retired from his farm and moved to the town of Deer Creek. Minnesota, where he bought six town lots, on one of which he now lives, having a convenient and desirable home.

On September 16, 1885. J. H. Welch was married to Mrs. Sarah Curtis, the widow of Orin G. Curtis, a soldier in the Ninth Regiment, Iowa Volunteer Infantry, who, while serving in the Civil War, contracted the small-pox and died in the army hospital at Louisville, Kentucky.

To Mr. and Mrs. Curtis were born four children, two of whom died in infancy. The living children are Esther and Mrs. C. H. Vergason, hoth of Deer Creek. Mr. and Mrs. Welch have no children.

J. H. Welch is a prominent member and worker in the Church of God, a congregation with which he has been affiliated for a short time. J. H. Welch is one of the honored and respected men of Deer Creek, Minnesota, he being the type of pioneer without whom and without whose efforts the county would be less progressive and less advanced.

JACOB NIEBELS.

The late Jacob Niebels, who was one of the well-known citizens of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, during the generation just passed, was a native of ('reafeld, Prussia, where he was born in 1842. Mr. Niebels came with his parents to America in 1851, when he was nine years old. His parents remained in Milwaukee for one year and then moved to Owatonna, Minne- sota. and settled on a farm.

Jacob Niebels spent his early years on the farm and received his early education in the schools of Owatonna, assisting his father on the farm dur- ing the summer months and attending school during the winter months until he was seventeen years old. At that age, he began to learn the plow manti- facturing trade and later went to Faribault, Minnesota, where he found employment in the plow factory operated by Christian Hohenberg. In 1862 he was married to Augusta Holmberg. the daughter of Christian Holmberg. and it was only a short time later that his regiment, in which he had enlisted is a Union soldier, was ordered to the South. Leaving St. Paul on April 18, 1862. he participated in the battle of Iuka 'as his first experience as a

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MR. AND MRS. JACOB NIEBELS

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soldier in the great Civil War. He was a musician and his regiment was engaged in the battles of Corinth, Vicksburg, Missionary Ridge, Atlanta and Savannah. Mr. Niebels was a soldier in Sherman's army and accompanied his army from Memphis, Tennessee, to the sea and northward through the Carolinas to Washington, D. C., where the Grand Review marked the close of the long years of strife. and it was his band which first entered Washing- ton. There is one feature of Mr. Niebel's record as a soldier that requires explanation. He was sentenced to the military prison for burning cotton, having been unjustly convicted, as the cotton was burned by Frank Stude- tant, against Niebel's protest. By order of President Lincoln, they were both released and ordered back to their regiment and participated in the movements which resulted in the surrender of the rebel army. While Mr. Niebels did not carry a gun during a greater part of the war, since he was a member of the regimental band, in several engagements, he was obliged to do so, especially where the rebels outnumbered the federal forces.

Upon returning to his home after the close of the war, Mr. Niebels resumed his work in the plow factory as a partner of his father-in-law and this arrangement continued until 1876. when Mr. Niebels and his young family moved to Waseca, where he purchased a gun and sporting goods store, which he operated until 1882. At this time he moved to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, and established a similar store on Lincoln avenue, west, in this city. This store he conducted up until the time of his death, which occurred on April 16, 1913.

By Mr. Niebels' marriage to Augusta Holmberg, March 28. 1862, there were born three children, Albert J., Clara L. and Harold E. Mrs. Niebels is the daughter of Christian and Ellen (Romberg) Holmberg, her father having come to America from Konsberg, near Christiana, Norway. The family came to America in 1851 and immediately thereafter, settled at Racine, Wisconsin, where they remained for one year. They then moved to Manistee, Michigan, where they lived for three years, during which time Mr. Holmberg was a mill overseer. The family then moved to Beaver Damı, where he was engaged in repairing plows and guns. His next move was to Faribault, where he engaged in the manufacture of plows.

Of the three children born to Mr. and Mrs. Niebels, Albert J. lives in Providence, Rhode Island. He married Mable L. Carpenter, the daughter of Alva Carpenter and the sister of Rev. Alva Carpenter. They have one son, Alva, born on January 17, 1908. Clara L. married Louis Keane, of New York City, and has four children. Pauline C .. Kenneth C., Muriel C. and Eleanor. Harold E. is a graduate of the Fergus Falls high school and of the dental department of the University of Minnesota. He finished the

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course in 1914 and immediately thereafter began the practice of his pro- fession in Fergus Falls, where he has a fine practice and one which is grow- ing rapidly. He has a most enviable reputation for careful and painstaking work and is well known in the social life of this city and county.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Niebels celebrated their goklen wedding anniversary on March 28, 1912. A large number of the old settlers of Fergus Falls and the surrounding country honored this worthy couple with their presence on that day. It was an enjoyable evening, spent principally in discussing pioneer times. Mr. Niebels was a man of strong opinions, straightforward and fearless in expressing them. He always manifested a deep interest in public affairs and made his views felt in public matters. His death was a great loss to the city where he lived and was mourned by a host of friends throughout the county.

A. ALBERT FRANK.

A. Albert Frank, farmer of Buse township, Otter Tail county, Minne- sota, was born in Waseca county, this state, March 1. 1867, son of Ludwig and Millie ( Manwiler ) Frank.

Mr. Frank's ancestors come from Prussian Poland and he has some interesting family history to relate concerning the enforced military service of that country. Ludwig Frank was a son of John Frank, who was one of a family of twelve children, eleven boys and one girl, and the father wish- ing to save his sons from compulsory military service, moved his sons to another location. Their hiding place was not learned by the authorities and officers came to forcibly take the sons away. These sons were in hid- ing and the old man declared he did not know where they were. The offi- cers hung him up by the hair of his head for an hour, but even that torture did not force him to disclose the whereabouts of his boys. Of these sons, only John and Andrus are definitely known of. Andrus finally went into the army and served seven years, but when he got into active service he found he had considerable dislike of bullets and made his escape. He arrived at home and stayed hidden in the barn until the close of that war. His army was defeated and he. therefore, had no need to fear showing himself. He took up his residence on the old homestead there and it is related he lived happily ever after. John acquired land of his own in Prussian Poland, where he spent his entire life and reared his family of seven children. There were two sons. Julius and Ludwig, and to Julius fell the family homestead, where he passed his entire life.

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History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions, Volume II, Part 64

Author: Mason, John W. (John Wintermute), 1846- 4n Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen Number of Pages: 1156

Author: Mason, John W. (John Wintermute), 1846- 4n
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Indianapolis, Ind. : B.F. Bowen
Number of Pages: 1156