History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 31

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

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

H. Kalkman, secretary and treasurer of the Melrose Granite Co., was born in Richmond, Minn., December 19, 1859, son of Henry and Margaret (Holt- man) Kalkman, the pioneers. The subject of this mention attended the dis- trict schools and also St. John's University, at Collegeville. As a young man he entered the mercantile business as a clerk. In 1881 he became the propri- etor of a mercantile concern in Melrose, after which he sold out in 1886, and in 1887 moved to Duluth, Minn., where he resided. In 1904 he became identi- fied with what is now the Melrose Granite Co.

Mr. Kalkman married Minnie Pogatchnick, a native of Austria, and a daughter of Mathias Pogatchnick, who settled in Minnesota. There are seven children in the Kalkman family: Joseph, Margaret, Albert, Millie, Edward, Norbert and Cyril.

Henry Kalkman and Margaret Holtman, the parents of H. Kalkman, were born in Germany, and in the early fifties started for America, being mar- ried at St. Louis, Mo., after the arrival of the boat, which brought them over. They came at once to Richmond, in Stearns county, and preempted 160 acres in Munson township. They built a log cabin and started farming with a team of oxen. They lived on the farm during the stirring days of the Sioux massacre. They were true pioneers and often the father walked to St. Cloud for provisions. From Munson township, the family moved to Meire Grove, in Grove township. In 1866 they went to Sauk Centre and opened the Min- nesota Hotel. Two years later they sold out and entered into the hotel busi- ness at New Munich. In 1881 he retired and moved to Melrose. Henry Kalk- man died in 1897. He was born in 1824. His wife is still living. She was born February 10, 1828.

Arthur Lloyd was born in Sauk Centre, December 16, 1874. He has re- sided in Melrose township for over twenty years and now has a farm of 120 acres. He married Anna Tank, the daughter of Frank Tank, and they have a son, Henry. Mr. Lloyd has two sisters, Ada and Amy. His parents live in Sauk Centre.

Frank M. Morehouse, Sr., veteran of the Civil War, and retired farmer, living in Melrose, was born on a farm in Herkimer county, New York, Decem- ber 16, 1839, son of John and Olive Morehouse, the former of whom was a carpenter by trade and died in Melrose. Frank M. spent his boyhood in New York state. In 1861 he enlisted in Company A, Second Michigan Volunteer Infantry, was mustered in at Detroit, Michigan, and followed the fortunes of that regiment until mustered out at Alexander, Virginia, with the excep- tion of a short time after the first Battle of Bull Run, when he was in the camp hospital suffering from typhoid fever. To recount the numerous bat- tles and skirmishes in which he participated would be to give the history of his regiment. Mr. Morehouse had been married April 9, 1861, to Julia Lowngsbury. After the war he joined her once more, and they set out for Michigan. In 1866 they came to New Ulm, Minn., and after a short time there, arrived in Melrose. He was a mason by trade, and did some work in this line in connection with operating his farm in Melrose township, one mile from the village. It is worthy of note that he worked on the first house erected within the village limits of Melrose. In 1893 he retired and took

MR. AND MRS. FRANCIS M. MOREHOUSE

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

up his home in the village. While he has never cared to seek public life, he nevertheless served thirteen years as constable. As a veteran of the war he has allied himself with the Van Ransler Post, No. 140, G. A. R., and has been its commander for two years. He also belongs to Melrose Lodge, A. F. & A. M., while his wife is a member of the Eastern Star. Of the eleven children born to Mr. and Mrs. Moorehouse there are living five: Sovelen, John, Frank M., Jr., Laura and Mary. Mr. and Mrs. Morehouse on April 9, 1911, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary; over five hundred friends and relatives were present. Mr. Morehouse had four brothers in the Civil War. They were : Omar, Richard, Elam and William. Mr. and Mrs. Morehouse, at this date, May 5, 1914, are occupying a claim of 160 acres in Roseau county.

Simon Pfau, a retired farmer, living in Melrose, was born in Germany, July 10, 1840, son of Ferdinand and Mary (Blank) Pfau. Ferdinand Pfau brought his family, then consisting of his wife, and three children, Simon, Anna and Joseph, to America, in 1852. The voyage was made on a sailing vessel, the trip consuming thirty-five days. The family settled in Ozaukee county, Wisconsin. There two more children, Louise and Ferdinand, were born. In 1865 the family came to Stearns county, and secured a homestead in Oak township, near New Munich. In the meantime, Simon Pfau had fol- lowed the fortunes of his family. December 7, 1863, he enlisted in Company C., 35th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He was a good soldier, and received an honorable discharge at New Orleans, May 30, 1865. Upon his return from the war he returned to the home of his parents, in Stearns county, and secured a homestead in Oak township. He then took up farming, which he success- fully followed for many years. In 1901 he retired and moved with his wife to the village of Melrose. Mr. Pfau was married January 5, 1867, to Catharine Metzger, who was born in Germany, October 18, 1842, daughter of Leonard and Eva (Hiltner) Metzger, the pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Pfau have two chil- dren. Philomena, now deceased, married George Knobloch. Mary married Joseph Temmer, and they have one son, Simon, born November 28, 1913.

Leonard Metzger and his wife were born in Germany, and came to Amer- ica in 1854, and located in Ohio. With them were their five children: Cath- erine, John, George, Joseph and Barbara. In the sixties they came to Stearns county, and located in Oak township. They built a log cabin, partitioned only by curtains, and there started pioneer life. With an ox team they began farming operations. Many years later he was enabled to build a modern home, and he added to his land until he owned 400 acres. He also assisted in erect- ing the two successive churches of the Catholic faith at New Munich.

Charles M. C. Pennison, Melrose, street commissioner, retired farmer, and veteran of the Civil War, was born in England, October 25, 1845, son of Daniel and Eliza (Holmes) Pennison, who brought him to St. Louis, Mo., in 1847. Shortly afterward they moved to Lafayette county, Wis., where he grew to manhood on a farm, receiving his education in a log schoolhouse. He was a mere youth when he enlisted in Company E, 31st Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, which was assigned to the first division, third brigade, of the twen- tieth army corps. He served two years and eight months, and participated in all the engagements, skirmishes and campaigns for which that regiment

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is noted, marching with Sherman through Georgia, and taking part in the Grand Review at Washington. He was mustered out at Madison, Wis., in July, 1865, and returned to his home. Some two years later he took a trip to Iowa for a short time. In 1869 he came to Melrose in this county, and spent some twenty-one years as a grader of wheat for the Clark interests. In the meantime he had acquired eighty acres adjoining the village of Melrose. This he worked for several years. He now lives in the village, where he is re- spected and honored as a leading citizen. For a number of years he was a member of Van Rensselaer Post, No. 245, G. A. R., of Melrose, now defunct owing to the dwindling ranks of the veterans. Mr. Pennison has served con- tinually as street commissioner for the past ten years. Mr. Pennison was mar- ried in 1874 to Amelia Witcho, born in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, daughter of William and Mary (Gorr) Witcho, the pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Pennison have four children : George, employed on the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie, with headquarters at Kenmar, North Dakota; Charles (deceased) ; William, of St. Paul, and Laura, at home. George married Susan Steidl, and they have five children: George, Jr., Ruth, Heartly, Emma and Frank. He also has two children by a former marriage: Ray and Georgena. William Witcho brought his wife and daughter, Augusta, from Germany in the fifties and located in Wisconsin, where three more chilren, Amelia, Emma and Lena, were born. Mr. Witcho enlisted in the Eleventh Wisconsin Volunteer In- fantry, and died in a hospital in Missouri at the age of thirty-three. His widow married Joseph Platts, now deceased. She now lives at Melrose at the age of eighty-six. Daniel and Eliza (Holmes) Pennison were born in Eng- land, and brought their family to America in 1847. She died shortly after- ward and he married Sarah Ann Jenks. He is dead and she makes her home in Wisconsin. By the first marriage there were two children: Charles M. C. of Sank Centre, and Mary Ann (deceased). By the second marriage there were five children: Joseph, Thomas, Byron, William and George.

Joseph Primus, machinist and implement dealer, Melrose, was born in Wisconsin, March 18, 1857, son of John and Catherine Primus. The parents were born in Germany, and were there married. In 1855 they started for America with their two children, Elizabeth and Anna, and finally landed in the new country after a voyage of nine weeks. In 1862 they came to Grove township, this county, and settled near Meire Grove, then known as Myer's Grove. Here they secured 160 acres of land, and erected a log cabin. The cabin was a primitive affair, with no floors and no windows, and only the kitchen stove for light. They had an ox team for farming, but they had no suitable winter shelter for them, so often on a winter night, the oxen and the members of the family slept in a row on the hard floor, with nothing in the way of a bed but some coarse grass cut from the river bottoms. During that first winter the family had absolutely nothing in the way of purchased pro- visions except 100 pounds of flour. Their principal fare was deer and rabbit meat cooked in various fashions, and eaten without any vegetables, even potatoes being unknown during the whole winter. After having braved the first winter, circumstances improved, and the Primus family became one of the first in the community. John Primus served several terms as supervisor

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of Grove township. He was an active man, and assisted in erecting the three successive churches at Meire Grove. The buildings on his own farm were im- proved and rebuilt as circumstances permitted. In 1891, John Primus and his wife moved to Melrose, where they ended their days, John at the age of eighty-eight, and his wife at the age of seventy-four. The parents of John Primus were John, Sr., and Elizabeth Primus, who came to Meire Grove with the rest of the family, and there ended their days.

Joseph Primus was reared on the home farm. As a young man he mar- ried Christiana Michaels, born on a farm in Wisconsin, daughter of Henry Michaels. The young couple continued farming for several years. While still living in the country they had four children : Henry, Michael, Elizabeth and Mary. Upon leaving the farm, Mr. Primus went to West Union, in Todd county, this state, where he conducted a general store. A son, Joseph, Jr., was born there. After disposing of the store in West Union, Mr. Primus came to Melrose, where he engaged in a varied line of business. The children born here are: Paul, Frank, Anthony, Hubert, Christian, Kate, Benjamin, Mar- garet (deceased), and John (deceased). Mr. Primus has one of the best implement concerns in this part of the country, and carries a full line of agricultural machinery, tools and equipment. He is well known in the com- munity and has served on the city council eight years. Previous to this he had been chairman of Grove township.

Gerhard Richter, for many years a blacksmith in Melrose, was born in Germany, on the Rhine, May 1, 1843, son of John and Elizabeth (Schreiner) Richter. He came to America in 1865, having at that time thoroughly mas- tered the trade of a blacksmith. Upon landing he came directly to St. Cloud, where he followed his trade as a helper to Peter Shedler, one of the first blacksmiths in that place. A year later, Mr. Richter established a shop for himself in Richmond, also in this county. In 1872 he moved to Melrose, where he conducted a shop until 1912, when he retired. He was one of the earliest councilmen of Melrose, a school director nine years, and census enumerator two different times, once for the state of Minnesota, and once for the United States government. Mr. Richter was married at St. Cloud in 1868, to Mar- garet Grun, born in Germany, on the Rhine, July 4, 1845, daughter of Jacob and Appalonia (Lohskiel) Grun. Mr. and Mrs. Richter have had nine chil- dren, of whom there are living, seven: Claudius (deceased), Jacob, John, Frederick (deceased), Catherine, Theresa, Joseph, Barbara, and Elizabeth. John Richter and his wife, the parents of Gerhard Richter, came to St. Cloud in 1866, and spent the remainder of their days on a farm on the St. Augusta road, south of St. Cloud. They had seven children: Catherine (deceased), Barbara, Catherine, Elizabeth, Bernard and Mary. Jacob and Appalonia (Lohskiel) Grun were born in Germany. Jacob was a cabinet maker by trade. He lost his wife when the daughter, Margaret, was but eight months of age. Thus bereft, Jacob never remarried, but remained a widower until his death at the age of seventy. In the family there were four children : Francis, Margaret (deceased), Susan and Margaret. Margaret, now the wife of Gerhard Richter, is the only one living. She came to St. Cloud in 1867 with a small colony of people seeking homes in the new country.

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Peter P. Stalboerger, secretary and treasurer of the Melrose Brewing Co., was born in Spring Hill township, June 6, 1891, son of Andrew and Anna Stalboerger. He received his education in the district schools of his neigh- borhood, in the Melrose High School, and in the Melrose Commercial School. When the Melrose Brewing Co. was organized in 1911 he assumed his present position, and is distinctly "making good."

The Melrose Brewing Co. is an important institution and is yearly in- creasing in volume of output. It was organized in 1911, with Andrew Stal- boerger as president, Peter P. Stalboerger as secretary and treasurer, and John F. Winter as manager. The Melrose keg beer, made by this company, has a large sale, and the "Old Bohemian Style," bottle beer, is in wide favor. When the present company was organized the annual output had been about 1,200 barrels or less. Now it is over 3,000 barrels annually. The cold stor- age vaults have a capacity of 1,000 barrels. The dimensions of the plant are as follows: Brewing house, 48 by 27; salt house, 15 by 16; boiler house, 18 by 32; wash house, 20 by 26; engine house, 18 by 19; pitching house, 16 by 18; lager cellar, 26 by 48; fermenting cellar, 19 by 20; malt cellar, 19 by 26. Bottling house, 24 by 36.

Andrew Stalboerger, retired farmer, and president of the Melrose Brew- ing Co., was born in Prussia, Germany, May 29, 1844, son of Gerhard Henry and Elizabeth (Klipper) Stalboerger. Gerhard H. Stalboerger was born in Germany, and was married in early manhood. His first wife died, leaving him two children, Gerhard and Henry. Later he married Elizabeth Klipper, and the son, Andrew, was born. Gerhard H., the father, and Henry, one of the sons, died in Germany. The mother, Elizabeth Klipper Stalboerger, brought the two boys, Gerhard and Andrew, to America in 1852, the voyage aboard the sailing vessel occupying four weeks. For four years they lived in Iowa. In 1856 they came to Stearns county, and settled in Spring Hill township, where the mother and each of the two sons, obtained claims. They erected a cabin, with the ground for floor, and "shakes" for shingles, and here started pioneer life. The good mother passed away in 1877 at the age of seventy-eight. An- drew Stalboerger lived on his homestead in Spring Hill township, for many years. He increased the farm to 320 acres, and erected modern buildings. He was assessor of Spring Hill township for several terms, and was also chairman of the board of supervisors. He helped build the Church of St. Michaels, in Spring Hill. Mr. Stalboerger was married June 28, 1876, to Anna Loehr, of St. Joseph, daughter of John Loehr. They have nine children : Elizabeth, Gertrude, Mary, Anna, John, Kate, Henry, Peter P. and Edward.

Horace Stratton, a retired farmer of Melrose, was born in Ohio, February 1, 1846, one of the three children of Theodore and Susan (Berdge) Stratton, who took their family first to Michigan, then to Mankato, Minn., in 1865, and in 1866 to Melrose. The father was a cooper by trade and Horace was trained in that pursuit, but upon reaching Melrose, both became farmers. Horace Stratton has been a prominent man in the community and has served his town in such offiees as clerk and supervisor. His farm is located in section 10, Melrose township. Mr. Stratton was married April 14, 1878, to Annett (Johnson) Wedge, widow of John Wedge. Mr. and Mrs. Stratton have one

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son, Ray Stratton. Ray Stratton married Maude Murphy, and they have a daughter, Myrtle. By her previous marriage, Mrs. Stratton had one son, Fred Wedge. He married Viola Coe, and they also have a daughter, Myrle. John H. Spieker, leading hardware merchant of Melrose, was born in Todd county, Minn., October 25, 1881, son of Henry and Mary (Hermes) Spieker. He attended the district schools of his neighborhood, and then se- cured employment as a clerk in a store in Long Prairie, Todd county. Later he and J. C. Buss opened a grocery store there, which they conducted some two and a half years. In 1907 Mr. Spieker opened his hardware store on Third street, in Melrose. He carries a full line of hardware equipment, and has a large trade. Mr. Spieker was married June 21, 1905, to Catherine Bogarding, daughter of Henry Bogarding. They have two children: Helen and Charles.

Joseph F. Thiers, manufacturer of soft drinks, in Melrose, was born in Jasper county, Ill., December 15, 1875, son of Joseph and Margaret (Schul- thise) Thiers, and grandson of John and Catherine Thiers. The grandparents came to America, when the father, Joseph, was three years of age, and settled in Gibson, Indiana. Later they went to Illinois. The grandfather, John, and the father, Joseph, came to Minnesota, and located at Brockway. When the Indian troubles came on, they returned to Illinois. Joseph, however, later in life again came to Stearns county, and engaged in the implement busi- ness in Sauk Centre. He now lives in St. Paul. His wife died many years ago. The children in the family were John, Antoinette, Antoin, Mary and Joseph F. Joseph F. received his early education in Illinois. Finally he came to St. Paul and was in the market business two years. In 1898 he enlisted in Company M, and saw service from July 15, 1898, to March 27, 1899. After his discharge he went to Sauk Centre, Minn., and engaged in the manufac- ture of soft drinks, under the firm name of Robschon & Thiers. In 1900 he came to Melrose and established the Melrose Bottling Works, of which he is the sole owner and proprietor. His goods include a wide variety of flavors and names, are made from the purest of materials, are in high favor and have a wide sale. He is a splendid business man, and has well deserved the suc- cess with which he has met. He started in a 12 by 12 room, and did all the work by hand. Now he has a place 24 by 30, equipped with a five-horsepower engine. Fraternally, Mr. Thiers belongs to the Catholic Order of Foresters and the Knights of Columbus. He has served ten years as a member of the Melrose Volunteer Fire Department, and is now a member of the Firemen's Relief Association. Mr. Thiers married Mary Deters, born in Meire Grove, this county, daughter of Fred Deters. Mr. and Mrs. Thiers have two children : Evelyn and Irene.

John Fred Winter, manager of the Melrose Brewing Co., was born in Spring Hill township, this county, November 9, 1883, son of Joseph and Anna Winter, farmers of that township. He received his education in the district schools of Spring Hill, and at St. John's University. He engaged in business in Richmond, Roscoe and Belgrade, all in this county, and at the organization of the Melrose Brewing Co., in 1911, became its manager and part owner. He married Mary Stalboerger, daughter of Andrew Stalboerger.

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Peter Winter, a retired farmer of Lake Henry township, was born in Prus- sia, Germany, January 6, 1831, son of John and Catherine (Thielen) Winter. The father died in Germany, and the mother with her nine children, came to America. Peter Winter arrived in this country in 1852, and from New York came to Detroit, Mich., where he did railroad work for a while. From there he went to the Lake Superior copper regions, where he was employed several years as a miner. In 1857 he came to Jacob's Prairie, taking a claim of 160 acres in St. Joseph township. There he built a log shanty with a basswood roof, and cleared a few acres of land. In 1865 he came to Lake Henry, secured 160 acres, erected a log cabin and started to improve the land. He had an ox team, and in the early days had to drive as far as Minneapolis for mill mate- rial. As time passed he added to his holdings until he owned 420 acres. He also erected modern buildings. He assisted in building the church at Spring Hill. Mr. Winter is highly esteemed, has been chairman and treasurer of Lake Henry township, and has done good service on the school board. At the good old age of eighty-three he is still hale and hearty, and though retired from the more strenuous activities of life, still takes a keen interest in the progress of events. Mr. Winter was married in the Lake Superior region, in 1863, to Anna Miller, born in Aldenburg, Germany, in 1850. She died in 1885 at the age of thirty-five. Seven children are living. They are: Catherine, Anna, George, Peter, John, Matt and Rosa. Four died in infancy. For his second wife, Mr. Winter married Elizabeth Schoenhoff, who was born in Germany, in 1850, and died February 9, 1904.

Matthew J. Winter, a leading merchant of Melrose, was born in Lake Henry township, this county, February 24, 1882, son of Peter and Anna (Miller) Winter. He attended the district schools and the Sauk Centre Busi- ness College. Then he worked in a hardware store at Sauk Centre for two years. Subsequently he was employed a similar period by the Gund Brewery Co., at Sauk Centre. Then he came to Melrose. He worked two years for C. J. Hoeschen and was in the general mercantile business four years at Mel- rose. In 1911 he engaged in the furniture business in Melrose. He does a large business, carries a large line of goods, and has one of the best stores of its kind in the county. In addition to the furniture store he also conducts an undertaking establishment. He is a member of the C. O. F. and the K. of C., both of Melrose. Mr. Winter was married April 14, 1906, to Helen Osten- dorf, a daughter of August Ostendorf, of Melrose township. They have two children, Ernest and Viola.

Joseph Van Havermoet was born in Belgium, and there spent his early years. He came to America some twenty years ago, and before locating in Minnesota, worked for a time in the mines of Michigan. He now owns forty acres in Melrose township, and carries on general farming. Mr. Van Haver- moet has considerable linguistic ability, reading and speaking several lan- guages. Mr. Van Havermoet was married in Belgium, and has three chil- dren : Bernard, Henry and Lena.

Alfred J. Zuercher, leading druggist of Melrose, was born at Stillwater, Minn., November 11, 1877, son of Dr. Alfred L. Zuercher and Mary Broker

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Zuercher, his wife. In 1882, Alfred J. Zuercher was brought to Melrose by his parents. He spent about seven years in the parochial schools, and two years in St. John's University at Collegeville. Then he worked several months with the Richmond Drug Co., Melrose, Minn., and four years with Reichert & Schenk, at Long Prairie, Todd county, Minnesota. Subsequently he entered the College of Pharmacy, of the University of Minnesota, and after a six months' course succeeded in the spring of 1899 in passing the examination prescribed by the State Board of Pharmacy. Then for seven years he became manager of the Helsper Drug Co., at Melrose. In 1906 he purchased the store and goods of W. J. Stock. Since that date he has built up a splendid line of business, and has made for himself an enviable name in the community. It is said that he carries one of the most complete stocks of drugs and sundries in this portion of the Northwest. He has not, however, confined his activities to the drug trade, as he has taken a part in many movements that have tended toward the interests of the city. He owns the Opera House block and the Lyric Theatre, and has recently installed in his theater an expensive moving- picture equipment. Mr. Zuercher is a member of the Knights of Columbus and of the Catholic Order of Foresters.

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 31

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