History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110

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After the death of Benjamin F. Staples his friend, H. C. Waite, of St. Cloud, prepared a noteworthy memoir in his honor. The article, in part, follows: "In the death of B. F. Staples this community has suffered a severe loss. In many respects he was a rare man. He was a man of strong and sin- cere convictions, and pursued them with a distinction of purpose which it was difficult to resist. He unselfishly sacrificed his own personal interests to

BENJAMIN F. STAPLES AND FAMILY

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

what he regarded the public welfare, when at the first call to arms in the late Civil war he left his farm implements in the field and fought as long as his services were required. Such men as he, for courage and persistence of pur- pose, have made the American soldier famous the world over. When the war was over he returned home. His gun was stored away, and the implements of husbandry took its place. He was a hard-working, industrious citizen who did not shun hardships, but met and overcame to the last. He was from stern ancestral stock, such as lasts well, and grows in public appreciation, the longer it is known and the closer observed. The members of Mr. Staples' family were among the first settlers of this county and have always deserved high and honorable mention. They have won respect as the reward of merit and meritorious living. They have never sought official preferment, but have been content to illustrate by their own manner of living the efficiency of our system of government. The pioneers of our western civilization are speedily passing away, and will not return this way again. What they have accomplished through much suffering and long persistence, should not be held in light re- membrance. Mr. Staples was one of these, who in a marked manner bore well his part in the difficulties which confronted him. Few men have encountered the vicissitudes of life and overcome them with greater manly courage. He was a hero of that nobler sort who having fully accomplished his mission here on earth, has retired to the fulfillment of still higher designs in the life that has no ending. He was one of those who are known to be worthy of the highest commendation and still have occupied the background of public senti- ment to a certain extent, because they did not care to exploit their services for purposes of publicity and self-gratification. Mr. Staples belonged to a class rapidly diminishing in numbers who bore his patriotism and integrity of purpose at the forefront of his daily life, honored and respected by all who knew him."

Menne Stock was born in Holland and came to America with his three brothers in 1848. The trip was made in a sailing vessel, the cholera broke out, and nearly half the passengers died. One brother died after reaching Indiana. From Indiana, Menne Stock came to St. Joseph township, bring- ing with him his two children by his first wife. For a while he worked in a flouring and feed mill. After his second marriage, he moved onto a farm in section 25, St. Wendel township. Mrs. Stock (Mrs. Galama by her first marriage) came to America with her husband in 1870. They immediately moved to their farm in section 25, St. Wendel township. Six children were born to them when Mr. Galama died, the youngest child being two years old, and the oldest twelve years of age. They remained on the farm, Mrs. Stock herself tilling the soil for two years, at which time she was married to Menne Stock. The names of the Galama children are Mary K., Dominick, Johanna, Gertrude, Theodore P. and Katie A. Of these children, Mary Galama, hav- ing been married to Jake Stock, died, leaving five children, Maggie, now Mrs. Joseph Rau; Lena, now Mrs. Frank Simon; Joseph and Bertha. Gertrude Galama, now Mrs. Jake Stock, living in section 25, St. Wendel township. Dominick Galama, having been a teacher for eighteen years, now owns a farm in section 19, Le Sauk township. Johanna Galama is single and is a

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dressmaker in the village of St. Joseph. Theodore and Katie are at home in section 25 on the old Galama stock farm.

John Undersander, a substantial farmer of St. Joseph, was born on the old homestead, section 24, in the township where he still resides, November 14, 1857, son of Michael and Gretchen Undersander. Michael Undersander was a pioneer, coming to St. Joseph from Delaware, in 1855, and settling in sections 23 and 26. He died in April, 1910, and his wife in September, 1910. They were the parents of five children. Of these, John, the subject of this mention, and Gertrude, the wife of F. Bisenious, of St. Cloud, are the only ones living.

John Undersander was reared on the farm in St. Joseph, and spent his boyhood in much the same manner as do other boys in a pioneer community. As a young man he purchased the farm where he now resides, and where he has reared his family. He owns 370 acres, nearly all of which are under cultivation. In 1891 he erected a sightly residence of brick. His barns and other buildings for the accommodation of stock, crops and implements are suitable and commodious. Mr. Undersander has been a school director for thirteen years. He is one of the active men of the community and is highly regarded. The family faith is that of the Roman Catholic Church. Mr. Under- sander married Josephine, the daughter of Henry Schildler, and they have two children, Henry and Joseph.

Andrew Walz, a successful farmer of St. Joseph township, was born in Lee county, Ill., September 30, 1856, son of John M. and Eva (Rothlein) Walz. John M. Walz was born in the village of Ratzstadt, Underfranken, Bavaria, Germany, November 22, 1819. He was married April 4, 1848, to Eva Rothlein, and then came to America. For a while he farmed in Lee county, Ill., some eighty miles from Chicago. July 4, 1859, the family arrived in St. Joseph township, and bought 147 acres in section 9, previously owned by Martin Feidler. There they lived for many years, John M. Walz dying April 10, 1908, and his wife, December 1, 1871. Andrew Walz has continued to live on the home farm. The original home was burned and Mr. Walz then erected the home where he now lives. He owns 143 acres and is in every way a pro- gressive man. He has been assessor and school director.

Mr. Walz married Sophia Merz, the daughter of Wendelin and Agatha (Witz) Merz. They have eleven children: Caroline teaches at Pearl Lake; Bertha is now Sister Mary Honoria, O. S. B., and teaches in St. Paul; Theresa married John N. Herter, a merchant of Dent, Ottertail county, Minn., and they have three children; Katie died at the age of sixteen; Frances and Eliza- beth died in infancy. Ida and Agatha are novices in the St. Benedict Con- vent at St. Joseph, Minn .; Eugene is a student at St. John's College, College- ville; Evelyn is at home; Rosa attends the St. Benedict Academy at St. Jo- seph. There is one adopted son, James, who was four years of age August 1, 1914. Mr. Walz has served in the village council of St. Joseph village.

Christian Speiser, a genial farmer of St. Joseph township was born in Philadelphia, Penn., September 30, 1855, son of Henry and Elizabeth (Rum- mer) Speiser. Henry Speiser was born in Germany, located in Philadelphia in 1848 and came to St. Joseph township in 1859. He died here in 1860. The

MR. AND MRS. MICHAEL UNDERSANDER

MR. AND MRS. STEPHEN RASSIER

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

widow later married Frank Speiser, a brother of her first husband, who died in 1883. She died in 1903. By the first marriage there were four children : Christian, of St. Joseph; Charles, of Wahpeton, North Dakota; Kate, of Douglas county, Minn., and Elizabeth, who is deceased. She was married to Charles Bollman. Christian was reared in St. Joseph township, and has always remained on the home farm. He owns 207 acres, where he conducts general farming on a successful scale. He is a genial man, pleasant to meet, and popular with his neighbors and friends. Especially is he well informed on the events of the early days, and his stories of those far distant times are most interesting. He has served on the town board of supervisors. The family are members of the Catholic Church. .

Christian Speiser married Mary Fruth, daughter of M. and Mary (Shean) Fruth. They have had ten children: Frank (deceased) ; John and Joseph at home; Rose, wife of Martin Iten, of St. Cloud, and the mother of two children; Anna, of Breckenridge, Minn .; Elizabeth and Ida, teachers; Martin, Peter and Secunda, at home.

Joseph Rassier, a progressive farmer of St. Joseph township, was born August 15, 1860, in section 14, of the township where he still resides, son of Stephen and Margaret (Schneider) Rassier. The father, Stephen, came to America in 1855, and after stopping awhile in Chicago, came to St. Joseph township, where his brother Nicholas had settled the previous year. He secured a homestead of 160 acres, and then went back to Chicago, where he followed his trade as a cabinet maker for two years. In 1857, when he re- turned to St. Joseph, he found that owing to the fact that he had not re- mained on his hometead the prescribed time he was entitled to but eighty acres of land. On this eighty acres he erected a log cabin, and lived therein until 1871, when he built the frame house in which now resides his son, Joseph. Stephen Rassier died January 8, 1890; his wife, January 29, 1891. They had ten children: Joseph, who lives on the home farm; John of Little Falls, Minn .; Nicholas, who lives in the village of St. Joseph; Frank, who lives in Minneapolis; Jennie, the wife of Joseph Boos, of St. Cloud; Elizabeth, who became Sister Mary Rachael, of the Order of St. Benedict, and is now de- ceased; Mary, the wife of Peter Scheuer; Stephen, living in Wahpeton, N. D .; and Mathew and Henry, who live in Breckenridge, N. D. Joseph Ras- sier, the oldest of this family, received his education in the schools of his neighborhood. After his marriage in 1888, he went to Rice, Minn., and there remained ten years. Then he returned to the home farm in St. Joseph, where they have since resided. Mr. Rassier has one of the finest farms in Stearns county. He has a comfortable home, commodious barns, and other suitable buildings for the housing of his stock, produce and farm equipment. He has been very successful in his farm operations, and makes a specialty of Hol- stein cattle. His character and work have won the respect and confidence of his fellow men, and he has been elected a member of the town board of St. Joseph some six years. He is a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters. Mr. Rassier married Mary, the daughter of Joseph and Susan (Mummch) Long, and they have ten children. Margaret and Leander, are at home ; Susan and Stella teach in Morrison county; Joseph, Lucia, Dorothy, Bernard, John

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and Lorain are at home. The family are members of the St. Joseph Catholic Church.

Abraham Lincoln Smitten was born in St. George, Nicollet county, this state, September 29, 1860, son of George W. Smitten. He received his early schooling in Le Sauk township, under William Trout, and later attended the Union School at St. Cloud. At the age of twenty-two he went to South Da- kota, where he worked for about six years. Then he returned home, and operated the home farm in Le Sauk township until his mother died. In 1900 he felt that farm life was too strenuous for the good of his health, and ac- cordingly he went to St. Paul and took a course in optical work, in which he received a diploma. He found, however, that the work was too confining, so he returned to agricultural pursuits. In March, 1905, he purchased the Collins farm in section 27, where he now lives. He is decidedly a prosperous man, and a country gentleman in its truest sense. He is well regarded and has held a number of local offices. In addition to his farm interests, he is vice president of the Sartell Lumber Co. Mr. Smitten was married March 1, 1905, to Mrs. Dora Lindsey Sartell, widow of Winslow L. Sartell, and they have four children : Clarence, Louis, Morris and Eugene.

Henry E. Collins, a pioneer of Le Sauk, was born in Springfield, Mass., in May, 1824, son of Elihu and Mary Collins, the former of whom was a Massa- chusetts farmer. Henry E. Collins came to Minnesota in the spring of 1853, and located in St. Paul. In May, 1855, he came to St. Cloud. He declares that he made the trip in the first steamboat that ever reached this place, and that St. Cloud at that time consisted of one or two stores, and a hotel built of tam- arack logs, of which Anton Edelbrock was the proprietor. Mr. Collins was a carpenter and joiner, but upon reaching this county he started farming on 160 acres of land which he obtained in Le Sauk township. He also secured some land in Morrison county. The Red River trail crossed the river at his home, and on the opposite side of the river was located the hotel of the North- western Fur Co. Thus under primitive conditions Mr. Collins began the life of a pioneer in a new country. Though he has lived in the state sixty years he is still a well preserved man, of unusual memory, and his stories regarding the early days of Minnesota are most interesting. He makes his home with Abraham L. Smitten, who now owns his place.

William Wallace Conner was born in Illinois, son of Moses Conner, of Holland-Dutch extraction. He was reared in Illinois, and there enlisted in the Civil War. His service, however, was cut short by illness, and he was honor- ably discharged. In 1865 he came to Stearns county, and purchased the un- fulfilled homestead rights to a tract of 120 acres in section 34. He proved up on this claim, and started to live a pioneer life. On the place there stood a log cabin into which he moved. He brought some horses here with him, but was obliged to sell them and purchase oxen. He also had one or two cows. In time he added twenty acres, and erected necessary buildings. A Republican in politics, he served as supervisor and school officer for many years. He was a member of the Christian (Disciple) Church. He died at the age of fifty-one years. Mr. Conner was married in Illinois, to Winnie Swisher, a native of that state, daughter of Samuel Swisher, who afterward settled in Eden Lake town-

A. L. SMITTEN AND FAMILY

E. H. DAY AND FAMILY

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ship, this county. Their children were: Joseph M., Ida E., Drucena, Mary (deceased), William (deceased), Charles (deceased), and Bertha.

Joseph M. Conner was reared on the home farm which he now owns. He follows general farming along the latest approved methods, and makes a specialty of full blooded Shorthorn cattle and pure blooded Duroc-Jersey swine. His barn is a' model, with a splendid ventilator system, and patent metal stanchions. Mr. Conner has been a school officer. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America. He married Mattie E. Mason, a daughter of Joseph Mason, and they have had three children: an infant (deceased), William Mason and Winnie.

Joseph Mason was born in Ireland, November 21, 1834, son of Andrew and Sarah Mason. He came to America in 1854, found his way from New York to Illinois, where he took up farming. During the Civil War he enlisted in Company K, 139th Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and there saw considerable hospital service. In 1865 he came to Minnesota and settled in Plainview, Olmsted county, where he farmed until 1870, when he came to Stearns county, and located in Maine Prairie township. A few years ago he located in Kimball village, where he now resides. He was married in 1869 to Athalia H. Shoe- maker and they have two children: Mattie E. and Vernon H.

Isaac A. Coleman, veteran of the Civil War, now a respected farmer of Maine Prairie township, was born in Shelby county, Indiana, May 28, 1841, son of William and Sarah (Tinell) Coleman, and grandson of Richard Coleman and Isaac Tinell. The two families came from Kentucky to Indiana, and there William Coleman and Sarah Tinell were married. They farmed in Shelby county, Indiana, for many years. William Coleman died there, but his widow came to Minnesota. They had six children : Isaac A., Mary (deceased), Nancy (deceased), Sarah, Armenta, and Georgetta (deceased). Isaac A. Coleman remained in Indiana until 1866, when he brought his bride to Stearns county, and located on their present farm of 120 acres in Maine Prairie township. They erected a log house and broke twenty acres of land. They also erected a log barn, covered with straw. They were a little more fortunate than some of their neighbors, as they had four horses instead of the usual ox team. There was a store at Fair Haven, but St. Cloud was the nearest town of any importance. Mr. Coleman has increased his farm to 200 acres, and has for many years carried on diversified farming. He is an independent thinker, and while in general he calls himself a Democrat, he nevertheless votes for the best man rather than for political parties. He has filled local offices and has done good service on the school board.

Mr. Coleman's war service dates from 1864 until the close of the hostili- ties. He was a private in Company D, 148th Indiana Volunteer Infantry, and sustained a good reputation as a brave soldier. Mr. Coleman married Lucinda Colee, who died in 1909 at the age of sixty-two. They had six children: Flor- ence, wife of W. H. French; William, living in Maine Prairie; Viola, wife of M. F. Greely ; Maude, wife of Edward Newell; Louis, now on the home farm; and Elsie, who lives with her father.

Eugene Henry Day, proprietor of the "Pioneer Farm," in Maine Prairie township, was born in Fair Haven township, this county, June 20, 1857, son

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of William Henry and Lucy Marie (Scribner) Day. He has the distinction of having been the first white child born in Fair Haven township. William Henry Day was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, and as a young man crossed the international boundary into Maine. There he met Lucy Marie Scribner, of Bangor, whom he wed. For several years he worked as a lumberman, a sail- ing mate, and a farmer. In 1856 the family set out for Minnesota. It was a long, tedious trip, and two children, Henry and Hannah, died on the way. They finally reached Clearwater, in this county, and with their two children, Didama and Cordelia W., started to walk to Fair Haven. With them were Aaron Scribner and wife. William Henry Day secured eighty acres of wild land about a mile north of the village of Fair Haven, and built thereon a log cabin. It is interesting to note that a bob-sled, still used by members of the family, was manufactured from the original logs of this old cabin. William Henry Day was a true pioneer, and endured many hardships. Corn meal was the principal article of food, and the only neighbor who had a milch cow was Alvinus Abell. When supplies were needed, Mr. Day was compelled to go to St. Paul, with his ox team. Shortly before the Indian outbreak, the family moved to eighty acres in Maine Prairie township. Two of the successive log cabins they built there were burned to the ground. Here two more children, Freeman and Mary Lucy, were born. William H. Day was a Republican in politics, and was elected town constable for many years. He also served many years on the town board. He belonged to the Christian Church and was active in its affairs. Mr. Day died at the age of seventy-five, his wife at the age of seventy-nine.

Eugene Henry Day was reared on the home farm in Maine Prairie town- ship, and learned farming as a boy. At the age of seven he was proficient as a driver of a pair of oxen. As a young man he secured 40 acres of railroad land in section 1, township 121, range 29, where he still resides. He calls the place the "Pioneer Farm." He has erected some good buildings, and brought the farm to a high stage of cultivation. Mr. Day practices intensive farming, and has been very successful. In 1905 he secured 320 acres in Saskatchewan, Canada, but this he later disposed of. Mr. Day has never aspired to office. He is a member of the Christian Church. Eugene Henry Day was married October 26, 1876, to Mary Waite, and they have had five children: Elsie, Didama, the wife of Ralph Buctrell, is dead. Clara Louise is the wife of W. H. Metcalf. Frank Henry is in Canada. Justin Luther, is a student in the University of Minnesota. Fannie Hazel is a teacher.

Mary Waite, now Mrs. Eugene Henry Day, was born in Richland county, Wis., January 20, 1856, the daughter of Edward Franklin and Helen Waite, natives of New York. The family reached Stearns county in 1865 and set- tled on the banks of Lake Koronis, near Paynesville. A year later they secured a homestead in Rockville township. Mr. Waite was a veteran of the Civil War, having served three years in Company B, 18th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He also served in the Mexican War of 1847. He died at the age of 65 years and his wife died at the age of 68 years.

William H. French, who farms in sections 12 and 13, Maine Prairie town- ship, in the neighborhood of the settlement known as Maine Prairie village,

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was born in the township where he still resides, July 25, 1863, son of John Hiro and Ellen (Young) French, and grandson of John and Bersheba (French) French. John Hiro French was born in New York, and as a young man oper- ated a saw mill there. His next residence was in Illinois. Then he found his way to Maine Prairie, in this county. He was one of the first to come through the swamp, and the first to bring a yoke of oxen onto the prairie. This was in 1856. He located on forty acres in section 6, Maine Prairie, built a log cabin, and started breaking the land. For a time he lived alone, but in 1861 he was married. During the Indian outbreak, the family spent their nights in the stockade in section 13, attending to their regular duties in the day time. In 1872 the family moved to section 13. Here John Hiro French died at the age of seventy-two. His widow now lives in Seattle. In the family there are six children : William H., Charles E., Wheeler D., Joseph D., Ellen (deceased), and Orrin H. William H. grew up on the home farm, and has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits. With the exception of a short time when he was in the pump and windmill business, he has lived on his present farm since early youth. He calls his place the "Fair View Farm," and has taken great pride in its development. He raises Percheron horses, Poland- China hogs, and a good grade of cattle. His farming operations have been profitable, and he has acquired stock in the State Bank of Kimball. In poli- tics he is independent. For some twelve years he has been assessor. Mr. French was married January 19, 1887, to Florence Coleman, daughter of Isaac Coleman, and they have three children: Clara, Edgar C., and Maicie. The daughters are both teachers, and Edgar C. is associated in farming with his father.

Nicholas Gasser, pioneer and Civil War veteran, was born in Switzerland, and there received his schooling. In 1854 he came to this country accompanied by his promised wife, Anna Ernst, and her father Xavier Ernst, and located on a homestead of 160 acres in St. Augusta township, this county. They erected a log cabin, and constructed a dugout covered with hay. During the first year they used a sled for a wagon, attaching it to their yoke of oxen. The next year they cut wheels from oak logs and this manufactured a wagon. The family drove to Clearwater for supplies. Nicholas Gasser was a watch- maker by trade, and did a great deal of repair work for the pioneers and also for the Indians. At the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted in Company G, Ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the con- fliet. While he was away his wife and her father operated the farm. After the war he returned. By hard work he added to his farm until he owned 640 acres. He erected modern buildings and became one of the leading farmers of his neighborhood. Mr. Gasser spent his declining years with his son, Frank, in Maine Prairie township, and died in March, 1907, at the age of eighty-four. In the family there were five children: Frank, born May, 1860, is a member of the firm of Gasser Bros., stock breeders, Kimball Prairie ; Rudolph, born in 1863, lives in St. Cloud; Julius, born in January, 1876, owns the Plum Grove farm in Maine Prairie township; Adolph, born in 1878, is associated with his brother, Frank, in the firm of Gasser Bros., stock breeders; Lawrence, born in 1880, lives at Kimball Prairie.

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Mrs. Nicholas Gasser, whose name as a girl was Annie Ernst, was born in Switzerland, March 29, 1839, and died on the seventy-fifth anniversary of her birth, in 1914, at St. Mary's Hospital, in Minneapolis. She came to this country in 1854 and was married to Nicholas Gasser in 1856. After her hus- band's death, she took up her home with her son, Frank, at Kimball. She en- joyed good health until within a short time of her death.

The Gasser Brothers. These young men are among the most active stock raisers in Stearns county, and their efforts have done much toward awakening interest in better breeds and larger production. The father, Nicholas, was an extensive farmer and stock breeder in St. Augusta township. Three of his sons, Frank, Adolph and Julius, purchased a tract in Maine Prairie town- ship, comprising 640 acres. This was formerly known as the Britchman place. They named it the "Prairie View Farm," and started breeding Shorthorn cat- tle, Percheron horses and Poland China hogs on an extensive scale. In 1905, one of the brothers, Julius, withdrew, and established the "Plum Grove Stock Farm," in Maine Prairie township. In 1910, Frank and Adolph also sold their interests, and moved to Kimball, where they established the firm of Gasser Brothers, stock breeders.

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 22

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843- Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper Number of Pages: 1110

Author: Mitchell, William Bell, 1843-
Publication date: 1915
Publisher: Chicago : H. S. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1110