History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 44

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

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Fritz Hackmann, a business man of Meire Grove village, was born in Hanover, Germany, August 8, 1862, son of William and Angelia (Berheger) Hackmann. William Hackmann spent the span of his years in the rural dis- tricts of Germany. He was killed in 1893 at the age of sixty-five by falling from a building on which he was working. His widow came to the United States in 1895, and lived with her children at Quincy, Illinois, until her death in 1909 at the age of sixty-eight. In the family there were five children: Henry, Fritz, William, Agnes and Mary. Fritz came to the United States in 1880. He left home with $19.00. From his native land he went to several Holland cities, then visited Liverpool and London, in England. He crossed the ocean, landed at New York, and in due time was bound for Minnesota. He was possessed of a ticket to St. Cloud and a trade dollar. He did not, however, leave the train at St. Cloud, but was put off at Albany. From that point he walked at midnight to Freeport. After a week there, he joined his brother, Henry, in Meire Grove, where he worked some five years on a farm. In the meantime, Henry had gone to Quincy, Illinois, and there Fritz joined him at the end of the five years. A year later, however, he returned to Meire Grove, where he engaged in agricultural business until 1889 when he opened his present place. He has been prominent in the affairs of the com- munity. In 1896 he made application, with others, for the incorporation of the village. The application was not granted. Later he fathered another application, which was granted, and resulted in the incorporation of Meire Grove. For eighteen years he has been clerk of the school board. Mr. Hack- mann was married in 1892 to Anna Schulte, born in Meire Grove, January 27, 1870, and died December 7, 1898. They had five children: Henry, Louisa, Elenora and Rosa, living, and an infant that died with the mother. In 1901 he married Mary Mohr, born in Germany, daughter of Joseph Mohr, the blacksmith. This union has resulted in seven children: Joseph, Anna, Aloy- sius (deceased), Julia, Aloysius, William and Philip.

Henry John Meyer, one of the pioneers of Grove township, and from whom, and other members of his family Meire Grove (originally called Meyer's Grove, then Meire's Grove and later Myergrove, before assuming its present form) was named was born in Germany, the son of John and Elizabeth Meyer.

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John Meyer left the family in the old country in the early fifties, came to America, located in St. Louis, and earned enough to pay the passage of his family. After he had sent the check, he died. In 1853 Henry John set out alone, and after living a while in Kentucky, found his way to Iowa, where he was joined by his mother, Elizabeth, and his brother, Herman. In 1858 the three came to Stearns county, and settled in Grove township, where each secured a claim. Henry John owned 160 acres including the present site of Meire Grove. When they started the three had but $5 in money. On this they lived, and erected a house. Shingle nails were the only things purchased for the structure. Everything else was taken from the forest, even the hinges being made from wood. The building was somewhat more pretentious than some pioneers' houses, for the roof, instead of being thatched, was shingled with shingles split from logs, and hewn into shape. After erecting their habitation they started breaking the land with the assistance of a yoke of oxen. They also kept a cow. The original log house stood about twenty rods south of where the creamery is now located. The three lived together for sixteen years, and the mother continued to live with Henry John until her death in 1877 at the age of seventy-eight years. Some time after settling in Stearns county, Henry John went back to Iowa, married, and brought his wife to his home. In the seventies, a modern house was erected. The barns and outbuildings kept pace with the progress of the times. By adding to his possessions from time to time, he acquired 450 acres, on 140 of this, within a mile north of the village, the son, Henry G., now lives. Henry John Meyer died in 1901 at the age of seventy-two. He had lived in the Catholic faith, had assisted in building the church at Meire Grove, and contributed the five acres of land which the parish still owns. Mr. Meyer married Elizabeth Schulte, daughter of Gerhard and Elizabeth (Mettendorf) Schulte, who came to Iowa in 1854, and later located within a mile southwest of the village of Meire Grove. Mr. and Mrs. Henry John Meyer had ten children: Henry G,. Pauline, Heman H., John C., Clements, Joseph F., Bernard C., Rosa, and two who died in infancy.

Henry Gerhard Meyer was born in Meire Grove, near which village he still lives, February 18, 1865, son of Henry John and Elizabeth (Schulte) Meyer, the pioneers, and the original owners of the site of the village. He was educated in the district schools and in St. John's University at College- ville, this county. Aside from two winters when he gained practical mer- cantile experience by working in a store in the village, he has devoted his years to farming. He first began with 140 acres in section 17, within a mile of the village. The land was cultivated, but there were no buildings thereon. He has erected a sightly modern home. His barn, 102 by 36, with patent stanchions and other improvements, is one of the features of the neighbor- hood. Mr. Meyer was the first to import full-blooded Holstein cattle to this region, and he now has a splendid herd. His large farm of 640 acres is devoted almost exclusively to grain raising and stock breeding. Mr. Meyer was one of the organizers of the Myergrove Co-Operative Creamery, and was its first president. He was also one of the organizers and for several years secretary of the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Co., of Meire Grove. He

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has financial interests in the State Bank of Meire Grove. Mr. Meyer was married in 1889 to Elizabeth Imdieke, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, August 3, 1871, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Macke) Imdieke, and granddaugh- ter of Gerhard and Catherine Imdieke, who spent the span of their years in Germany, and of Bernard and Adalaide (Poppleman) Macke, who came from . Germany to Stearns county in 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have had nine children : Henry (deceased), Rosa, Meinulph, August, Albert, Ellenora, Fran- cis, Reinhold and Matilda. Henry Imdieke was born in Germany and came to Cincinnati in 1865. In 1870 he returned to Germany, was married and at once set out on his return to America. In 1878 he again visited Germany. In 1880 he returned to America, and located at Meire Grove in this county. For some years he combined the mercantile business with farming. He is now living in retirement. He and his good wife have had six children: Elizabeth, Wilhelmina, Henry, Rosa (deceased), Bernard and August.

Joseph Nathe, the pioneer, was born in Germany, and in 1859 came to America and located in Stearns county, where he secured a homestead of 160 acres in section 20, Grove township. At about this time he was married to Elizabeth Martho, whose parents, Christof and Gertrude Martho, had come from Germany, and settled where New Munich is now located, they being the first settlers in that village. In the Martho family there were eight chil- dren. After his marriage, Mr. Nathe took up his residence on his claim, making a home for his bride in the log cabin which he had constructed. Few people of the present generation realize the hardships and privations of those days. The land was broken with the aid of oxen. The only farm wagon was one made of rough hewn timber, the wheels being slices from a giant oak tree. When Mr. Nathe wished to attend church at New Munich, he was often forced to wade across the river entirely disrobed, carrying his clothes high and dry over his head. Being a carpenter by trade he manufactured many conveniences for the neighborhood, one of his pieces of work being an ingenious, even if crude, threshing machine operated by horse power. He helped to erect the log building, the frame building, and the present brick building of the church at Meire Grove. He also donated $500 for this parish, just before leaving for the south. After leaving Meire Grove, he located on 240 acres of orange land and timberland in St. Joseph, Pacco county, Florida, where he remained until his death. His wife now lives with Bernard Otte, in Grove township.

Bernard Otte, a substantial farmer of Grove township, was born in West- phalia, Germany, July 3, 1857, son of Frederick and Marie (Troboksen) Otte, who spent the span of their years in Germany. In the family there were five children : William, Henry, Bernard, Mary and Louise. Bernard and Mary were the first to come to America. They came in 1880 and settled in Meire Grove. Three years later they were joined by the other three children. In 1883, Bernard purchased a farm of 160 acres in sections 5 and 8, Grove town- ship. At that time there were a few small buildings on the place. He imme- diately began to make improvements, and has now brought the place to a high degree of beauty and utility. He has a twelve-room brick home, 28 by 38, equipped with modern conveniences throughout. His barns and other out-

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buildings are also ample and commodious. Mr. Otte raises the usual crops and breeds a considerable number of cattle, of high grade. He helped to organize the Meire Grove Farmers' Cooperative Creamery and the Meire Grove Farm- ers' Insurance Co. For eight years he was supervisor of the township, and nearly all that time served as chairman. He has also had a part in the prog- ress and upbuilding of the Catholic Church at Meire Grove. Mr. Otte mar- ried Anna Nathe, born September 11, 1864, daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth (Martho) Nathe, the pioneers. Mr. and Mrs. Otte have ten children : Joseph, Barney, Mary, Henry, Rosa, Johan, Meinulph, Elizabeth, Julius and Herman.

Gerhard Terhaar was born in Westphalia, Germany, and in 1854 was brought to America by his parents, who settled first in McHenry county, Ill., and in 1858 came to this state, and located in Stearns county. He was married in St. Jacob's Church, on Jacob's Prairie, in Wakefield township, to Dianah Rieland, whose parents brought her from Westphalia in 1859 and settled in Oak township. After the marriage, Gerhard Terhaar settled on 160 acres in Grove township, section 26, which he had obtained a year previ- ous. They lived in a log cabin, and did their farming with the help of an ox team. At the time of the Indian troubles they went to Richmond, but soon after returned. In time they acquired 360 acres of land. They helped to build the early Catholic churches in Grove township and at New Munich, and were useful members of the community in every way. Gerhard Terhaar was the first president of the Mutual Fire Insurance Association of New Mu- nich. He died August 15, 1881, at the age of fifty-six. His wife still lives with the subject of this sketch. They were the parents of ten children.

Herman S. Meyer, a leading farmer of Grove township, was born in Meire Grove, in the township where he now resides, November 13, 1869, son of Henry John and Elizabeth (Schulte) Meyer, the pioneers. He received his early education in the schools of the neighborhood, and later studied at St. John's University, at Collegeville, in this county. As a youth he spent his time with his uncle, Herman. In 1897 he purchased his uncle's home- stead. On this 320 acres of good land he is engaged in general farming. In addition to the usual crops he makes a specialty of breeding full-blooded Holstein cattle, and his fine herd is the pride of the neighborhood. He was one of the organizers of the Meire Grove Farmers' Creamery and has been its secretary since it was started. Some idea of the excellence of his diary may be gathered from the fact that his check for the milk and cream from his private herd in 1913 was $1,719. He helped to incorporate the Meire Grove Farmers' Insurance Co., and until December, 1913, held the office of treasurer. He is also a member of the Meire Grove Farmers' Shippers' Association and of the American Society of Equity. Mr. Meyer married Pauline Nathe, daughter of Casper Nathe, an early settler, who came from Germany, and settled in Grove township, this county. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have had eleven children : Aloys, Anna, Josephine, Frank (deceased), Antoin, Apolonia, Herman, Joseph, Caroline, Aggie, and one that died in infancy.

Fortunat Zaczkowski, one of the earliest pioneers, was born near War- saw, Poland, May 6, 1820, the son of Fortunat Zaczkowski, the elder. The family is a noble one, closely allied to one of the dynasties, which reigned in

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Poland during the days of her ancient independence and splendor. The sub- ject of this sketch received an excellent education under private tutors, and then made a tour of the capitals of Europe to complete his training. He was married as a young man to Mary F. Holifer, who was also of good blood. One child, Ferdinand, was born to them there. But Fortunat Zackowski was not content to live in his native land with her independence gone, and her terri- tory dismembered. So in 1848 he came to the United States, and located at Mount Carroll, Ill. In 1856 he came to Stearns county, and with headquarters at Richmond, looked over the land in this vicinity. Then he returned to Illi- nois, and later in the same spring, started in an ox team for Minnesota. He brought his wife and his two children, Ferdinand and Joseph. At the same time, and in the same caravan, some twenty other families came, all induced to settle here by the glowing reports of Fortunat Zaczkowski. This colony was one of the forerunners of the later settlements which sprang up in vari- ous parts of Stearns county. Mr. Zaczkowski secured 160 acres in section 34, Munson township, three miles southwest of Richmond. There he built a log house and started farming. He had brought with him two yoke of oxen, two cows, a pair of pigs and a pair of chickens. He also had provisions to last two years. When the supply of flour was gone, he ground wheat in a coffeemill, and was thus able to furnish material with which his wife could make bread. After living on this place about twelve years, he sold out, and moved to a farm in sections 18 and 19 in the same township. He first secured 160 acres, and later added 120 more. He built a log cabin 30 by 20 feet. All the pieces in the cabin were mortised together firmly, and the cabin was considered one of the best houses in this part of the country. It stood a few rods west of where the present house is located. Two log barns were also erected, one 30 by 20 and one 24 by 18. It is interesting to note, by way of digression, that these rude barns are now replaced by two handsome structures, one 38 by 100 and the other 28 by 45, while the two cows and the two pigs, have been increased to 100 full blooded Holstein cattle and 100 thoroughbred Duroc-Jersey swine. By the time the family settled on sections 18 and 19, they were already well on the road to prosperity. Circumstances too were much better. From the old location they were compelled to drive to St. Paul with an ox team after supplies and to market their produce. The new loca- tion was on the line of the Red River trail, and St. Cloud was within compara- tively easy distance. Mr. Zackowski was one of the leading Democrats in the county. He served several times as one of the supervisors, and took a particular interest in school matters. He was a devout Catholic, and many of the early mission meetings in this vicinity were held at his home. After a long and useful life, which though lived amid the pioneer conditions of a new country was fully in keeping with the honored traditions of his knightly house, he died January 5, 1910. His wife died January 17, 1882. In addition to the two sons, Ferdinand and Joseph, already mentioned, the children were : Thomas, Mary, Claudius (deceased), Theresa, Barbara and Josephine.

Thomas Zaczkowski, proprietor of Willow Grove Farm, and one of the leading farmers of Munson township, was born on section 34, in the township where he still resides, November 16, 1857, son of Fortunat and Mary F. (Holi-

MR. AND MRS. THOMAS ZACZKOWSKI

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fer) Zaczkowski, and descended from the nobility of Poland. He was brought by his parents to the farm in sections 18 and 19, Munson township, which is a part of his present estate. After attending the public schools he entered the St. John's University, at Collegeville, this county. Later he studied at Cogan College, at Grove Lake, this county. His learning has also been augmented by extended journeys through Europe, especially through that portion of Germany, Russia, Austria, Hungary and France in the history of which his ancestors figured so conspicuously. In visiting these countries he also visited the dismembered provinces of Poland. Mr. Zaczkowski has devoted his life to agricultural pursuits, and has been an extensive shipper of stock for the past quarter of a century. He owns 400 acres of good land, and is a success- ful farmer in every way. He is also something of a horse fancier, having brought to this county the first Percheron horse ever seen here. Perhaps Mr. Zaczkowski is most widely known, especially to the readers of the agricul- tural magazines, as a breeder of Duroc-Jersey swine. He has some 200 in his herd, and they compare favorably with those in the best herds in Minnesota. At the head of this herd is Col's Inventor, 116,529, a remarkably fine boar, weighing 900 pounds, and perfect in every respect. In connection with his stock breeding, Mr. Zaczkowski is manager of the Roscoe & St. Martin's Shipping Association. Mr. Zaczkowski was married January 14, 1889, at Rich- mond, to Mary Dreher, who was born in Bavaria, January 28, 1866, daughter of George and Julia (Schmidt) Dreher, who spent the span of their years in the old country. Mr. and Mrs. Zaczkowski have ten children. Zetta was

born March 23, 1891, and is now the wife of John Ley, of Munson town- ship. Anton was born October 17, 1892, and is a student in St. John's Uni- versity at Collegeville. Mary Ann was born July 25, 1894; Othmar was born January 17, 1895; Marcellus was born November 6, 1897; Julitta was born November 2, 1901; Fortunat was born February 16, 1903; Alexander and Sebastian N. (twins) were born March 3, 1905; Leo Robert was born Novem- ber 25, 1909, and Caroline Genevieve was born August 4, 1913. Being a deep student and the father of several children, Mr. Zaczkowski has taken an inter- est in educational matters and has served on the school board of his district.

Jacob Weber, county commissioner, residing on his farm in Munson town- ship, was born in Germany, August 3, 1863, son of Mathias and Catherine (Morepacker) Weber, and grandson of Conrad Weber. Conrad had three sons, Claudius, Mathias and Jacob, all of whom came to America. Claudius came first. The second to come was Mathias. He served in the German war of 1871, and in 1874 came to this county with his wife, and his two children, John and Jacob, the latter of whom is the subject of this sketch. They settled in Munson township, about two miles west of Richmond. Later they moved to the farm in section 32, where they gradually made improvements in the way of developing the land and erecting buildings. Mathias Weber died September 6, 1909, at the age of eighty-one. His wife died in 1906 at the age of eighty-two. Jacob has continued to reside on the home place. He has 200 acres of good land, well improved with buildings, fences and the like. His farm implements and machinery are ample. He successfully conducts diversified farming on an extensive scale, but makes a specialty of his herd

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of Holstein cattle, in which he takes particular pride. He has served in school and township offices, and is now in his second four-year term as county com- missioner.

Mr. Weber was married in 1889, to Josephine Pirz, born on the old home- stead of her father, Bartel Pirz. Mr. and Mrs. Weber have four children : Lena, Barbara, Bartel and Joseph.

Charles C. Holifer was born on the old Holifer homestead, near the boundary line between Eden Lake and Munson townships, June 21, 1865, son of Charles and Minnie (Schultz) Holifer, On this farm he still resides. He has made many improvements and is one of the successful men of his neigh- borhood. Mr. Holifer was married in 1889 to Rachael Scoaleben, born in Munson township in 1867, daughter of John and Amelia (Knable) Scoaleben, early settlers. Mr. and Mrs. Holifer have two children, Benjamin and Fred.

John Scoaleben was born in Germany, and came to this country as a young man. He married Amelia Knable, the daughter of Gotlieb and Fred- ericka Knable. Mr. and Mrs. Scoaleben located on 120 acres of school land in Munson township, and to this they later added 120 more. They built a log cabin, and made their home on the place the remainder of their lives. John Scoaleben died in 1878 at the age of fifty. Their children were : John, Rachael, Moses, Aaron, Amelia, Tillie and Herman.

Gotlieb Knable and his wife, Fredericka, were born in Prussia, and came to America in 1859 with their six children: August, Herman, Gustave, Got- lieb, Amelia and Tillie. They were eight weeks in crossing the ocean. For a year they lived in Wisconsin. In 1860 they came to Stearns county and settled in Munson township, on 160 acres of land, near Roscoe. They built a log cabin, and with two pair of oxen, and two cows started farming. During the Indian troubles they fled to Richmond. When they returned they found a scene of desolation. The cabin was standing. It had been set afire, and a neighbor had extinguished the flames. But the turkeys and the swine had been killed, and the cultivated fields had been laid waste. Undaunted, however, they again set to work, and there spent the remainder of their lives. Gotlieb reached the age of eighty-seven and his wife that of seventy- eight.

Clemens Kost, the elder, now deceased, was born in Germany, the son of Benjamin B. Kost. Benjamin B. Kost, at an early day, started for America with his wife and ten children: Felix, Lawrence, Joseph, Susan, Peter, Gracene, Mary, Clemens, Leopold and Catherina. Another child had died in Germany. Upon arriving in America, the family located in Johnstown, Penn., where the father farmed and operated a saw mill. Benjamin B. Kost died in Richmond, Stearns county, July 29, 1873. His wife died March 6, the same year. Clemens was married in 1854 in Pennsylvania, and after living there a few years, they came west in 1860, bringing their three children. The trip was made by railroad to the Mississippi river, and from there by boat to St. Paul. In that city they hired Michael Phillips to bring their goods to Stearns county. The family rode on top of the load of goods. After a three days' trip from St. Paul, they reached the county that was to be their future home.

First they went to St. Joseph. Subsequently they settled on a farm of

CLEMENS KOST

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160 acres near Richmond. Here Clemens Kost at once set about to carve his fortunes out of the wilderness. He built a log house 12 by 14, and the bears and the deer sported in the yard. These were hard times. Provisions had to be hauled from St. Paul, a long and hazardous trip. At one time the family had no flour or frying-fat, and their only food was boiled fish, eaten without salt. The Indians came to the cabin and frightened Mrs. Kost by snatching food from the table and throwing their hatchets in the ceiling. But Mr. Kost was always fearless in his dealings with the Indians, and they, who admired bravery, never did him or his any real harm. During the outbreak, however, when the Indians in the rage at the inroads of the whites, forgot all past obli- gations and friendships, the family fled from the home for a while. But the troubles were soon over and the family prospered. Mr. Kost built the first sawmill at Richmond, and operated the first carding mill there. After some years, he moved his family to what is now the village of Roscoe. On a part of his 160 acres he laid out the village, gave it its name, and donated several acres to the railroad authorities whom he induced to locate a station there. He also assisted in the upbuilding of the Catholic faith in this vicinity. After a busy life, filled with good work, he died in November, 1890, at the age of sixty-five years.

Mr. Kost was married in Pennsylvania, in 1854, to Theresa Scheiber, who was born in Bavaria, August 11, 1836, daughter of John and Margaret Schei- ber, who in 1836 brought to Baltimore, Maryland, their two children, Barney and Theresa. Barney served in the Civil War, and died of starvation in a southern prison. After living a while in Baltimore, the Scheiber family moved to Johnstown, Penn. The children born there were: John, Peter and Joseph, the last of whom died when young. Mr. and Mrs. Kost had thirteen children : John, Crecence (deceased), Benjamin (deceased), Margaret, Peter, Gregory, Joseph, Mary (deceased), Kate (deceased), Tracie (deceased), Clemens, Tracie and William (deceased).

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History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 44

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