History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 40

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

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Mr. Swift married Elizabeth Herbert, also a native of Canada. This union has resulted in eight children: William S., Frederick, Annie R., Charles W., James C., Nathaniel E., Charlotte E., and George H. Mr. and Mrs. Swift are members of the Episcopal Church of Ashley, of which church Mr. Swift has been secretary for twenty years.

A. M. Stiles, one of the leading exponents of agricultural supremacy, in Stearns county, was born in Steuben county, New York, April 10, 1838, son of David and Clarinda (Shaw) Stiles, who took up a homestead in this county, in 1862. A. M. Stiles was taken by the family to Indiana in 1853 and to Adams county, Wisconsin, in 1858. When the parents came to Stearns county, he went to Rochester, Minn. In 1864 he made a trip overland to the Rocky Mountains, and there mined in Idaho for about two years. In 1866 he re- turned to Minnesota, joined his parents, and located on a farm in section 11, Ashley township, where he still resides. He has prospered with the years and is now the owner of several large farms. Mr. Stiles was elected chairman of the board of supervisors when the town was organized, and has served in

JOHN D. AND MILTON ABELL

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

an official capacity on the board for about thirty years, part of the time as supervisor and part of the time as clerk. He has also held school office for a considerable period. In 1879 he sat in the lower house of the Minnesota legislature. He is honored in Odd Fellowship as one of the founders, and the first Noble Grand of Sauk Centre Lodge, No. 34, I. O. O. F. In the Methodist Church he has been an efficient and active worker. All-in-all, he is a useful citizen, one whose life has meant something in the community where he has for so long made his home. A. M. Stiles married Mary W. Teeters, and they have four children: Offie, Clara, Bertha and Emma. David and Clarinda (Shaw) Stiles had nine children : Philena, Albert M., Lafayette, Mirah, Orrel, Ellen, Frances, Theodore and Orlando.

Lovinas Abell, one of the earliest settlers of Fair Haven, was born in Manlius, New York, and as a young man went to Ohio, where he married Harriet Coats, also a native of New York state. For a number of years he lived in Ohio and Indiana. In 1856 he left Mecca, in Trumbull county, Ohio, with five other gentlemen, George G. Root, Henry Root, John L. Dean, J. G. Smith and A. Smith. In the sumer of 1856 they reached Stearns county and after due investigation they discovered the beautiful location to which they gave the name of Fair Haven, owing to its plentiful water and its pleasant prospect. The name was suggested by Thomas C. Partridge, who had pre- ceded the party here, and who laid out the village of Fair Haven. The members of the party cast lots for their locations. Lovinas Abell secured 160 acres in section 33, just north of the village. He put up a log building and started farming. In the fall the wife of Lovinas Abell arrived with the six children : Jane, Newton (a veteran of the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry ), Wesley, Laura, John D. (a veteran of the First Minnesota Volun- teer Infantry), and Milton. They reached Fair Haven by driving from St. Anthony, accompanied by several other families. Mr. and Mrs. Abell spent the remainder of their days in this township. He died at the age of seventy- five and she at the age of ninety-four. John D. and Milton, sons of this family, are the oldest settlers living in Fair Haven township. John D. was born December 1, 1845, came here with the family, enlisted in Company C, First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, served three years, and was wounded at Petersburg. He is a member of the G. A. R., and for about a year was post- master at Fair Haven. He was married August 16, 1875, to Henrietta Dean, and they have one son, Horace E. Milton is a wagon-maker by trade. He now farms on twenty acres in the suburbs of Fair Haven. He has been con- stable for several years.

Elmer J. Baldwin, a substantial farmer of Fair Haven, was born in Eden township, Erie county, New York, April 26, 1852, son of Joseph Barber and Elmira (Dunham) Baldwin, and grandson of Joseph Barber Baldwin, the elder, and of William Dunham. Both grandfathers were soldiers in the war of 1812. One of the paternal ancestors was in the Revolutionary War in 1776. A hickory whetstone, a wooden canteen, a pistol and other relics of that conflict are still in the possession of the subject of this mention. Joseph Barber Baldwin, the younger, spent most of his life in Erie county, New York, and in latter years came to Stearns county, where he died in 1898, at the age

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of eighty-four. His wife died in 1893. They had ten children. Of these, Joseph Henry was the first to come to Minnesota. He came in 1871. In September, 1872, the other boys, Elmer J., Giles and Egbert S. From Clear Lake, Minn., they came to Clearwater, at the edge of this county, by stage, and then walked to Fair Haven. The landscape looked strange indeed to them, for all their previous life had been spent in a country of rugged hills and picturesque vales, with farms perched on the hillsides. Elmer J., after a few years, was presented by his father with forty acres in section 35, all wild land. He cleared and broke the land, and then sold it. Then he secured 120 acres in section 3. On this land near the village of Fair Haven, he has since continued to carry on farming operations. He has been justice of the peace for many terms, and has been town clerk for the past eighteen years, a position in which he is still serving. In politics he is a Republican. He belongs to the Modern Woodmen of America, and his wife to the Royal Neighbors. Mr. Baldwin was married August 6, 1877, to Hattie C. Leavitt, the first white child born on Maine Prairie. She was born December 25, 1859, and became a proficient school teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Baldwin have one daughter, Eva L., born November 6, 1891. She was married August 28, 1912, to August May, and they live in Fair Haven village.

Sumner Leavitt came to Stearns county at an early day, and settled in Maine Prairie,. where he engaged in farming on the place known as the Sam- uel Young Farm. In 1863 he came to Fair Haven. He was engaged at vari- ous times as a teamster, stage driver, blacksmith and wagon maker. He was especially well known as a stage driver, having driven for many years on the route from St. Cloud to Fair Haven, also to Litchfield, Monticello, Kings- ton and Cokato. He was a successful man and was highly esteemed in the community. He died February 3, 1904, at the age of seventy-nine. Mr. Leavitt was married in 1852 to Alvira Blake, who died October 24, 1871, at the age of thirty-nine. In 1873 he married Lottie Boolan, who died in November, 1913. By his first wife, he had one daughter, Hattie C. Leavitt. After his second marriage he adopted a boy named Walter J. Walter J. served three years in the Philippines, and after being honorably discharged, remained for two years longer in the service of the government. He is now living on a homestead near Chugwater, Wyoming, with his wife and young daughter. His wife is the oldest daughter of Roscoe Boobar, also an old settler of Fair Haven.

Joseph Henry Baldwin, a respected farmer of Fair Haven township, was born in Erie county, New York, October 24, 1843, son of Joseph Barber and Elmira (Dunham) Baldwin, and grandson of Joseph Barber Baldwin, Sr., and of William Dunham. He spent his early life in his native county, and in August, 1862, enlisted at North Evans, N. Y., in Company K, One Hundred and Sixteenth New York Volunteer Infantry. He saw active service as a valiant soldier under Sheridan in the Red River campaign, and took part in the Grand Review in Washington. In 1869 he came to Stearns county, looked around for a while, and then returned to New York state. In 1871 he came to remain permanently. In 1872 he purchased a farm in Fair Haven township. This farm he increased to about 1,000 acres, and for many years

MR. AND MRS. JOSEPH H. BALDWIN

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HISTORY OF STEARNS COUNTY

conducted general farming, making a specialty of Black Poll-Angus cattle. In 1911 he and his wife retired and moved to the village of Fair Haven. At various times, Mr. Baldwin has held town office, having been treasurer and assessor of Fair Haven. Mr. Baldwin was married October 8, 1881, to Mary Lawton, born in Erie county, New York, December 8, 1838, daughter of George and Jane (Bartlet) Lawton, and granddaughter of John Lawton. John Lawton moved into western New York from New Bedford, Mass. George Lawton was born in Collins, Erie county, New York. The Bartlets lived in Rhode Island, in Colonial times. Mr. Baldwin is a member of the Christian church.

Calvin J. Boobar, a pioneer, was born in Milo, Maine, December 27, 1811, and was married November 6, 1836, to Eliza H. Merrill, who was born in Auburn, Maine, March 1, 1816. In April, 1858, they came to Fair Haven, and thence to Maine Prairie. In March, 1862, they moved to Sauk Centre, where they lived in a rude cabin on the bank of the Sauk river. In August, 1862, the family came back to Maine Prairie. They left Sauk Centre on the day of the New Ulm massacre, but did not know of that event until after- ward. For six weeks they lived in the Maine Prairie stockade. The Indians were unfriendly, though in this vicinity not actually murderous, and the homes and farms were the scenes of looting and pillage until the soldiers arrived. About this time the family went to Minneapolis, and remained some one and a half years before returning to Fair Haven. After the war there came a period of tranquillity, and the family prospered with the years. Calvin J. Boobar was a prominent man, and held a number of local offices. At the time of his death, December 6, 1872, he was town clerk and justice of the peace, both of which positions he had held for many years.

Mrs. Boobar lived to be the oldest woman in Minnesota. She died March 23, 1914, at the age of ninety-eight years. She was one of the mothers of Minnesota, and her long and useful life embraced experiences which fall to the lot of but few women. She bore hardships and happiness with the same undaunted spirit, and was a staunch figure in the life of the county. At the time of her death it was said of her: "The greater part of Mrs. Boobar's later life was spent in Fair Haven, where she was surrounded by an army of admiring friends who loved her for her many deeds of kindness and her charitable spirit. In her active days she was ever willing and eager to aid in times of sickness and distress, so in her own declining years, the welfare of 'Grandma' Boobar was foremost in the minds of all." In her latter years her eyesight failed her, but her wonderful memory remained clear, and her spirit grew stronger and brighter.

Mr. and Mrs. Boobar had twelve children: Anna, born June 19, 1840, is the widow of Aaron Nason, and lives in Thief River Falls, Minn .; Drusilla was born January 2, 1842, was married February 5, 1859, to Aaron Nason, and died July 10, 1859; Lucy J., was born October 15, 1843, married John Bliler, November 14, 1870, and died September -, 1896; Henry C., was born Novem- ber 25, 1844, enlisted in Company D, Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry., and died August 18, 1862; Althea was born January 14, 1847, was married January 14, 1866, to Payson Partridge, and they live at Berryville, Arkan-

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sas; George R. was born September 30, 1848, was married December 28, 1877, to Maggie Larson, and they live in Fair Haven; Charlotte was born January 18, 1851, was married January 17, 1872, to Sumner Leavitt, and died Novem- ber 15, 1913; Hattie C. was born April 26, 1853, was married April 16, 1872, to A. C. Easton; and since his death lives in Minneapolis; Hannah W. was born April 26, 1853, was married October 4, 1874, to Charles Fralick, and since his death continues to live in Fair Haven; James Elmer was born Au- gust 14, 1855, and was married December 8, 1884, to Annie Bayless, and they live at Nary, Minn .; Clara E. was born July 13, 1859, was married in 1889, to John Deane, and they live in Girard, Ohio; Frank H. was born July 1, 1862, and was married January 15, 1885, to Jennie Stevens.

Frank H. Boobar was born in Sauk Valley, Sauk Centre township, July 1, 1862, son of Calvin J. and Eliza H. (Merrill) Boobar. Soon after his birth he was taken to the old stockade in Maine Prairie, and shortly afterward to Minneapolis. While still less than two years of age, he was brought to Fair Haven. He attended the public schools, was raised to farm pursuits, and at the age of fourteen started farming with his brothers, George R. (better known as Ross), and Elmer. They purchased 160 acres in section 34, broke the land, erected the buildings, added forty acres, and farmed for about ten years. Then Frank H. sold out and engaged in the meat business in Fair Haven, at the same time buying young cattle for the Montana ranges. At the expiration of four years he engaged in general farming. In 1895 he erected a blacksmith shop and became the village blacksmith, which occupation he successfully followed until 1909: In the meantime from 1903 to 1905 he had purchased the old store building and engaged in general merchandising, but in the latter year he disposed of this business. In 1909 his blacksmith busi- ness reached such proportions that he erected a large shop at South Haven, equipped with two fires and all the latest improved machinery. There he carried on general blacksmithing and practical horseshoeing, and had one of the finest shops on the "Soo" line. December 14, 1913, he sold out, and in 1914 erected a new shop in Fair Haven. He has maintained his home in Fair Haven, going back and forth to his work at South Haven, missing in all that time but four days. He has served as supervisor of Fair Haven, has been town clerk for four years, has been justice of the peace since 1902, and has been both director and clerk of the school district.

Mr. Boobar was married January 15, 1885, to Jennie Stevens, and they have had three children. Ivy, born November 27, 1885, was married June 29, 1909, to Jasper Gray, and they have two children, Alice and Marian. They live on a homestead at Scranton, North Dakota. Edith May was born Febru- ary 14, 1893, and is an educator by profession. Amy Elizabeth was born Jan- uary 4, 1895.

Benjamin Grinols, one of the best known men in the county, was born in West Otto, Cattaraugus county, New York, November 3, 1833, son of Daniel and Elsie (Tripp) Grinols. Daniel was born in Scotland, came to America, and for many years farmed in Cattaraugus county, New York. He was an old fashioned Whig in politics, and took an active part in the "up- state" New York movements of that party. Daniel Grinols died at the age

MR. AND MRS. BENJAMIN GRINOLS

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of sixty-six, his wife at the age of eighty-three. In the family there were eight children : Amos, Phoebe, Desire, Benjamin, Ruth, Harvey, David and Esther. Benjamin Grinols came to Minnesota in 1856, landing in St. Paul, April 19. He took a claim in Oak Grove, Anoka county, and for a time before his marriage lived alone. In 1858 he was married, and the young people started life in what was practically the wilderness. They had many interesting experiences. In the family the story is still told of one exciting day when the babies, Clinton D. and Ernest, were left in the yard while the mother milked the cow. A flock of sand cranes alighted around the babies, and it was with some difficulty that the birds were frightened away and the boys saved. In 1865 the family located in Fair Haven. Here Benjamin Grinols erected a store in partnership with his brother-in-law, William Cooper. Mr. Grinols and Mr. Cooper secured a stock of general merchandise and started business together. Goods had to be brought in from Anoka by team. In 1878, Mr. Cooper died. Later Clinton D. and Ernest Grinols were taken into the store as partners, and the firm name became B. Grinols & Sons. The place was sold out in the spring of 1893. In addition to conducting this store Mr. Grinols was also a farmer. He operated the farm of 160 acres where his son, Ernest, now lives, erected a splendid house, and good barn, and outbuild- ings, and made the place one of the model farms of the neighborhood. He has held many township offices, and has been an important factor in shaping the thought of the community. He has contributed liberally of his time, means and property toward the upbuilding of the county. The site of the Star Hotel, conducted by C. R. Thorn, is his gift. He has also been open handed in regard to church matters. His own finances have suffered through his lenient and kindly nature, and throughout the many years when he was in business he gave credit extensively when there was no possibility of the payment of the obligations. Throughout the county he is lovingly known as "Uncle Ben," and few people are held in higher esteem. He is a useful citi- zen and is one of those men of whom it may truly be said that the world is the happier for his being in it. Mr. Grinols was married in 1858 to Isabella Cooper, daughter of James Cooper, who came to this country from Pennsyl- vania in 1857. She died in Fair Haven, in 1899, at the age of sixty-nine. There were three children in the family: Clinton D., Ernest and Elsie (de- ceased). Mr. Grinols was again married, December 24, 1912, to Sarah Jane Norton, born in New York, the daughter of Reuben and Anna (Ladd) Nor- ton, the former being a native of Connecticut and the latter of New York. Sarah Jane Norton married for her first husband, John G. Tyler, a carpenter, of Grant county, Wis., who died after one month's service in Company C, Twentieth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, leaving one son, John Franklin Tyler, now of Minneapolis. For second husband she married Enoch Y. Ousley, a veteran of the Civil War, and a farmer of Grant county, Wisconsin. He died in August, 1910, at the age of eighty years, leaving five children, Wil- liam Eugene, Marrietta, Sherman T., Hannah Adelia and Minnie.

Ernest E. Grinols was born in Oak Grove, Minn., November 15, 1861, son of Benjamin Grinols, who brought him to Fair Haven township, this county, in 1865. He attended the public schools of his neighborhood and had the ad-

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vantages of one year's training in the St. Cloud State Normal School. For a time he and his brother, Clinton D., and their father, Benjamin, were in part- nership, the father and brother operating a store in Fair Haven village, while he conducted the farm. In 1899 he bought the home place, and on this he now successfully conducts general farming and stock raising. He has a place of 130 acres, well cultivated and well improved, and has become one of the substantial men of the community.

Mr. Grinols was married July 18, 1884, to Etta Gould, and they have three children: Earl L., Mildred Iola, and Elsie Jessamine. Earl L. lives at Bemidji, and is general manager of the Great Northern Timber Co. He mar- ried Julie Hillie, of Fergus Falls. Mildred Iola is the wife of Rev. H. P. Archerd, a Methodist Episcopal missionary in Peru, South America. They have two children, Iola and Harvard. Elsie is attending Annandale High School.

Grant Graham, proprietor of the Fair Haven Flour Mills, was born in Springville, Vernon county, Wis., April 16, 1864, son of Jefferson and Maria (Schell) Graham, and grandson of John Graham. The family originated in Scotland. John Graham was born in Virginia. He was a millwright and miller by trade, and a true frontiersman. He was one of the first settlers of Vernon county, Wisconsin. His wife was Miss Reasoner. Jefferson Graham was born in Indiana. He married Maria Schell, a native of Ohio. Like his father he was a miller. For a time he operated a mill at Springville, Wis. It was about 1871 that he came to Minnesota. He lived successively in Mower, Freeborn and Swift counties. He and his wife now reside in California, both at the age of seventy-six. In the family there were three children: Marietta, Grant and Sherman. The family is a patriotic one, and has claims to Colonial, Revolutionary and 1812 honors. Grant Graham learned the mill- ing trade from his father. For a time he operated a mill at Big Bend, Chip- pewa county, this state, and later one in Milan, in the same county. It was in 1899 that he came to Stearns county and located in Fair Haven. He turns out a good product and his "XXXX" brand is widely known. He belongs to the I. O. O. F. and the M. W. A., of Fair Haven. Mr. Graham was married November, 1894, to Alma Olson, of Watson, Minn., daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Olson, natives of Sweden. They have four children: Viola, Hazel, Daisy and Ethel.

Henry C. Rickmeyer, a leading and useful citizen of Fair Haven, now de- ceased, was born in Hanover, Germany, in 1842, and came to America as a young man in his early twenties. He located in Manitowoc, Wis., where he acquired farm land, and where he also owned and operated a brickyard. While there he married Jane Cortens, who was born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1849; came to America in 1855. In 1878 he brought his family to Stearns county, and purchased the old Sturdevant farm in section 22, Fair Haven township. They moved into the log cabin that stood on the place, and here they resided until the present home was erected in 1901. Mr. Rickmeyer was a progressive intelligent farmer. He took an active part in the affairs of the neighborhood and served in various town offices. He was also a staunch Luth- eran, and became one of the founders of the Concordia Lutheran Church of

FAIR HAVEN ROLLER MILL (Grant Graham, Proprietor)

VIOLA, HAZEL, DAISY AND ETHEL GRAHAM (Daughters of Grant Graham)

MR. AND MRS. HENRY C. RICKMEYER

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Fair Haven. Mr. Rickmeyer died in 1911. His wife died in 1906. Both were highly respected and their death was sincerely mourned. Of the four children born to this family there are now living three: William C., Emma J., and Henry M. Henry M. operates the home farm which he has named "Oak Dale." The place consists of 160 acres of good land, also twenty-eight acres in lot 2, joining Lake Lura. The house was erected by the father in 1900 and the barn by the children in 1913. The farm is well tilled and well cultivated. General farming operations are conducted and a specialty is made of full- blooded Shorthorn cattle. Emma J. keeps house for Henry M., and they have an ideal household.

William C. operates the farm in Wright county, where he is being very successful. Both young men are active, energetic farmers, and are well thought of throughout the community.

Joseph Schill, a prosperous farmer of Fair Haven township, was born in Evansville, Indiana, April 14, 1854, son of Remigius and Rosina Schill. The parents were natives of Germany. They came to America in 1852 and located in Indiana. In 1869 they came to Minnesota, and purchased eighty acres of land in section 10, Fair Haven township. They made a small clearing, erected a cabin, and started to establish for themselves a home in the wilderness. They broke and grubbed the land and brought it to a high stage of cultiva- tion. Later they added forty acres adjoining in section 11, thus making a good place of 120 acres. They became successful farmers and occupied an enviable position in the community. Remigius Schill died in 1910 and his wife the same year. The children in the family were: Joseph, Nicholas, Sophia (deceased), Mary, Lena, Rosa (deceased), Henry, Anton, John (deceased), and an infant that died at the age of two days. Joseph Schill attended school in Indiana, and came with his parents to Stearns county in 1869. Here he completed his education in the district schools. For several years he farmed with his father, and for a time he also worked out for neighboring farmers. During these years he saved his earnings, and in 1889 he bought 159 acres in section 10. Only about twenty-one acres had been broken when he bought it. He cleared nearly all the remainder and developed a splendid place. He built a sightly residence and a good set of barns and outbuildings, and by working early and late he established himself as one of the leading men of the township. He is a good citizen and has a well equipped farm, and is re- garded in every way as one who has achieved success. Mr. Schill was mar- ried in November, 1879, to Cecelia Kerstiens, a native of Stearns county, and they have had nine children: Anna, Joseph, Rosa, Theresa, Mary, John, Christina, Edward and Frank. Anna is the wife of August Wessleman. Joseph lives in St. Augusta township. Rosa lives in St. Augusta and is the wife of Christ Gohman. Theresa is the wife of Albert Voigt of Luxemberg township. Mary is the wife of Frank Hinkemeyer, of St. Augusta. John, Christina, Edward and Frank are at home. The family faith is that of the Catholic church at St. Augusta.

Rev. Henry William Weseloh, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Con- cordia congregation, Fair Haven township, was born in Westfield, Sauk county, Wisconsin, August 23, 1869, son of John and Catherine (Schroeder)

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 40

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