History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 51

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1222

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Frank D. Washburn, president of the Old Settlers' Association of Green- wood Prairie from 1894 to 1897, and from 1910 to 1920 inclusive, was born in Elba, Dodge County, Wis., January 17, 1853, son of Lyman and Esther Amaret (Doan) Washburn. In June, 1855, at the age of two years he accompanied his

MR. AND MRS. FRANK D. WASHBURN

MR. AND MRS. FRANKLIN A. WELLS

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

parents to Wabasha County, Minn., the journey being made by ox-team, and for a number of years thereafter his life was spent on their farm in section 3, Plainview Township. As a boy he attended the district school whenever he had opportunity, but his hours of work were longer than those of study, and if he never reached the classics, he at least acquired a very good knowledge of the practical part of farming. After remaining on the home farm until 1878 he moved to Renville County, this state, and for four years operated a rented farm there. Then returning to Wabasha County he rented a farm here which he operated for an equal length of time. After that he bought the old home farm from his brother's widow, 40 acres of which had been lost on a $50 mort- gage given to pay expenses of the illness and burial of his father, and this he bought back in 1893 for $2000, again completing the quarter. He continued to operate and develop the farm until 1907, when he rented it to other parties, and though no longer engaged in general agriculture, he now follows truck farming to some extent. His fraternal affiliations are with Illustrious Lodge, A. F. & A. M., and with the I. O. O. F. Mr. Washburn was married June 30, 1882, to Lillian Josephine Welles, who was born at Manlius, Onondaga County, N. Y., May 14, 1859, daughter of Franklin Adams and Sarah Elizabeth (Alexander) Welles. The only child of this union is Dwight Welles, who was born April 19, 1886, and is now engaged in truck farming. He married Leoma G. Verhaag, and has three children, Franklin Jacob, Faith Mary and Gladys Elizabeth. Mrs. Washburn, who was formerly a teacher in the schools of the town and county, is active in social life, being a member of the Travelers' Club, the Ladies' Circle, the W. C. T. U., and the D. A. R. She was born in Pompey, Onon- daga County, N. Y., May 14, 1859. Her widowed mother has a place in the home. Mr. and Mrs. Washburn are affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church.

Franklin Adams Welles, an early settler in Wabasha County, and who con- tributed to its early agricultural development, was born in Pompey, Onondaga County, N. Y., December 3, 1832. His parents, Russell and Sophronia Welles, were descendants of the early pioneers of this country. The first member of the family in America was Sir Thomas Welles, of England, who arrived at Say- brook, Conn., under commission from the royal family, and by the king of Eng- land was appointed colonial governor of Connecticut, being one of its first gov- ernors. His great grandfather on the mother's side was a captain in the War of the Revolution. He received an excellent education at Pompey Hill Acad- emy, after which he spent several years as a teacher in the village schools of his native state, holding a life state certificate for the work. He first visited St. Paul and other western places in 1854, and after moving west he taught with marked success in the schools of Wisconsin and Minnesota. He married Sarah E. Alexander, December 23, 1856, who was also a native of New York, having been born in Fabius, Onondaga County, March 6, 1834. In 1861 they moved to Sparta, Wis. Three years later, in 1863, they came to Wabasha County, arriv- ing in midwinter with three children under five years of age, and located on a purchased farm of 160 acres, section 39, township of Highland. Later they sold this place and bought 106 acres in the township of Plainview, one and a half miles northeast of the village of the same name. There they resided until 1893, when, under President Cleveland's first administration, he was appointed postmaster of Plainview, being reappointed for the second term of Cleveland's administration, he moved his family into town and built him a home there. A man highly esteemed and respected, he served a number of years as justice of the peace, and identified himself with the life and interests of Plainview po- litically and socially for many years. He was one of the earliest Masonic resi- dents of the county and was instrumental in the establishment of a Masonic lodge in the town, naming it Illustrious Lodge No. 63, after Illustrious Rem- ington, master of the lodge in Syracuse, N. Y., from whom he received the de- grees of the order. Of the lodge in Plainview he was a charter member and

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the first master. He was a thirty-second degree Mason and one of the very few Knights Templar west of the Mississippi river, when he came to Minnesota. In 1904 he was chosen a member of the Masonic Veteran Association of the state of Minnesota, an honor conferred only upon those who had experienced fifty years of active service as Masons. One of Plainview's foremost citizens of early days, he was a man of marked physical and mental activity, with a strong love for the beautiful in literature and nature, ever showing a kindly interest in the affairs of his friends-a genial, courteous, affectionate gentle- man with a pleasing personality which made him most companionable. His death occurred November 18, 1907. His wife, who survived him, is now re- siding with her son-in-law and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Frank D. Washburn of Plainview, Minn. The children are: Lillian J. (Mrs. F. D. Washburn) of Plainview, Minn .; Florence A. (Mrs. W. F. Foster) of Minot, S. D .; Isabelle W. (Mrs. W. I. Gray) of Minneapolis, Minn .; Ada R. Welles (Daisy), deceased ; and Maude A. Welles, of Minneapolis, Minn. Sarah E. Alexander was born in Fabius, Onondaga County, N. Y., March 16, 1834. She came of old Revolution- ary stock, her great grandfather serving in the French and Indian wars, her grandfather in the War of the Revolution, and her father in the War of 1812.

Henry Theodore Washburn, who in former years carried on farming near Plainview, Wabasha County, but has long been a resident of Goodwin, S. D., where he is highly respected, was born at Columbus, Wis., April 3, 1851, son of Lyman Gardner and Esther (Doane) Washburn. The parents came from Wis- consin to Minnesota with their family and an ox team and wagon in the spring of 1855. The father was in poor health and two years later died, leaving his wife with seven children, the eldest, Selden, a lad of eighteen. Amid the hard- ships and discouragements of those early days the family . struggled on to prosperity, led by the brave and energetic mother. Henry Theodore's education was obtained in a country school, which he had to leave early to help at home on the farm. However, he has never ceased to be a student, and from the perusal of the best books and magazines has obtained that higher education that schools alone, however good, could not afford. On May 30, 1877, he married Emma L. Crittendon of Dover, Minnesota, and settled on a farm of his own near Plainview. His wife's parents were William M. and Harriet (Alexander) Crittendon, and, like his own, were descended from the early Puritans. They came from Massachusetts to Wisconsin, and thence to Minnesota, at an early day. In the spring of 1881, Mr. Washburn removed with his family to Goodwin, S. D., and settled on the homestead, where he still resides. In his own words, he thus sums up his active career :

"I, Henry Theodore Washburn, came from that large and growing family of Massachusetts Washburns, and was born at Columbus, Columbia County, Wis., April 3, 1851. At four years of age I came with my family to Plainview, Minn., where I lived twenty-five years. From there I moved to Goodwin, Deuel County, S. D., where I have resided ever since. My father's name was Lyman Gardner Washburn and my mother's, Esther Amerette Doane. My education was common school-and very common. I am and always have been a farmer. For the past twenty years I have been farmng about one thousand acres and have been raising many horses, cattle and hogs. I have held no offices except on boards of directors in business institutions. I am tied to no political party, voting sometimes with one and again with another. My religion is of no recog- nized variety. I was married to Emma Louisa Crittendon May 30, 1877, at Dover, Minn. My wife's father was William Howley Crittendon, and her mother, Harriett Newel Alexander. Seven children were born to us, two of whom died in infancy. Hattie Ruth was born April 21, 1878. She still lives with her parents and is a writer of some note. Emma Amerette was born September 4, 1880. She married Henry Sandland March 8, 1916, and now lives on a ranch near Selfridge, N. D. Selden Gardner was born March 22, 1883. He still lives with his parents and is a farmer and an expert mechanic of

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widespread reputation. Marietta was born April 11, 1886. She married Charles Thomas November 15, 1911. They have four children: Theodore, Roy, Pearl and Wallace. They now live on a farm near Dysart, Iowa. Rose Alice was born April 27, 1894. She married Charles De Vine March 15, 1916. They have one child, Stanley. They live on a farm near Goodwin, S. D.

"I have remembrances of Plainview and vicinity that are interesting to me but that is no sign that they would be to others. When we settled on the old homestead there were no houses from Hall's little log hotel in St. Charles to Cook's Valley, a few miles out of Wabasha. St. Paul was a small Indian trading post and Minneapolis had not been heard of. Of one thing I feel sure and that is that Greenwood Prairie, as it was then called, was the most beauti- ful land, before it was touched by the hand of man, that my eyes have ever rested upon. With its beautiful island-like groves, its emerald green prairies and sparkling streams, it made a picture that has never been surpassed in the temperate climate, in my opinion. The early settlers in that country certainly 'burned their bridges behind them' when they came there. There was not much show of 'going back to live on the wife's folks,' when it had perhaps taken a month of hard struggle to get there with the slow moving ox teams. As I look back to those old days, I realize that those early settlers were sterling stuff. My father died three years after we came to the country, leaving my mother with seven children, the oldest eighteen. , One would have to know the situation to realize the magnitude of her task. It was a slow, hard job to clear up and get it in a condition to raise crops, the land on our old homestead, as we were in what was termed, 'oak openings'-that is, trees too scattering to be termed groves. So at the time of my father's death we had but a small field under cultivation. We were in debt, too, as my father had died of a long and lingering illness. We had a very meager outfit of tools and stock and prices were low and markets far away. Did our mother sit back and complain of the hardness of her lot? She did not. But steadily, day after day, and year after year, she worked and slaved for us, apparently with no thought that she was doing any- thing out of the regular program. And on top of all her other burdens she helped take care of all sick for miles around. There were no trained nurses in those days and so the women of the neighborhood acted in that capacity and mother and Mrs. Bootman were noted far and wide as expert and willing, so they had frequent calls for their services-nor was there any thought of pay. She made straw hats for all the men in that part of the country, braiding them of oat straw, sewing and shaping them and making as good looking and a much better wearing hat than one can buy today. She made overalls and shirts for all the bachelors around, patched socks for O. Wilcox and did any other job that anyone wanted done. And she won out and raised all of us to be good citizens and we had as good an education as any of the children around us. One of the Bryants of Elgin used to frequently tell his boy about us, what a fine man our father was and what good boys we were, and he told it so many times that it made the boy sore. So one day Dr. Tefft was at Bryants and the old man was telling the boy all about it again, as we old men will, and it got too much for the boy and he said, 'Father, the difference between the Washburn boys and me is that their father died and mine didn't.'

"In those old days whiskey was a part of the daily fare. Every grocery store had a barrel of it in the back end of the building with a glass upturned on top of it and the regular customers were supposed to help themselves as they do to tobacco now days. At our place there was no whiskey jug nor would. mother drink it or allow any of we children to, but most of the women did drink. A man by the name of Field used to live a mile north of us and one day. as a neighbor was going by on his way to town, Field came out with a two-gal- lon jug for the neighbor to get filled with whiskey. He apologized for bother- ing him by saying, 'The old cow has gone dry and it takes a mort of whiskey to keep the family going.' Most of the men used to carry their whiskey in a flask

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covered with wicker to keep it from getting broken. One day two neighbors, Crawford and Goss were on their way to the river market with wheat when they met another neighbor, who of course had a bottle with something in it. Of course he had to 'shoat' Crawford and Goss, as they used to say in those days. Orr got the flask first and long and earnestly studied the heavens while Goss stood by waiting his turn. At last Orr passed over the flask and Goss expec- tantly tipped it higher and higher till it stood straight up and still no gurgle came from its lips. At last Crawford said with a wink to the other man, 'Is there much in it, Mr. Goss?' 'I hear that expression used once in a while when I go back to Plainview though the incident happened sixty years ago."

Joseph Eggers, one of the early settlers of Wabasha County, now passed away, whose labors were productive of good results, both to himself and fam- ily and to the community in which he successively made his home, was a na- tive of Germany, where he grew to manhood, and married Amelia Schrew. On their wedding day he and his bride started for America, and on landing in this country proceeded west to Iowa, where for about two years they both worked in a flour mill. Then they came to Minnesota, and several years later set- tled in Wabasha County, buying a claim of 160 acres in the township of Hyde Park. The land was wild and heavily timbered, none of it having been broken, so Mr. Eggers had a task before him requiring energy, patience and muscle. With all these he was well endowed, and with the able assistance of his wife, who was a willing worker, he cut the timber, erected a set of buildings and developed the land, they finally finding themselves the owners of a very good farm. In 1875 they bought a farm of 120 acres in Plainview Township. This latter place was already improved, so there was less strenuous work for them to do, and they resided on it until 1905, in which year they retired and became residents of Plainview Village. Here Mrs. Amelia Eggers died June 30, 1910. She was survived less than five years by her husband, who passed away in February, 1915. Of the nine children the two first born died in infancy. The others, in order of birth, were: John C., now of Rochester; Dora De Grief, of Forest Lake; Minnie, of Plainview; Emma, now Mrs. H. K. Oliverson, of Plain- view; Mary, who became the wife of Ed Persons, and died in September, 1900; Henry H., a well known business man of Plainview, and George, who resides in Arkansaw.

Henry H. Eggers, who is successfully engaged in the produce business in Plainview, was born at Hammond, Wabasha County, Minn., August 20, 1872, son of Joseph and Amelia (Schrew) Eggers. After leaving school he worked a number of years for Landon and Buchard. Then he followed the carpenter's trade for a few years. In 1902 he moved to Hyde Park Township, taking up farming for three years. In 1905 he returned to Plainview and managed the seed business for Mr. Buchard until 1915, when he opened his present produce business. He handles various kinds of produce, including poultry (live and dressed), eggs, cream, seeds and sand. He has become one of the prosperous merchants of the village, and for the last three years has been ably assisted by his wife, who attends to the books, besides assisting him in other branches of the business. They have just bought the building on the corner of Jefferson and Broadway, consisting of two stories and basement, which is entirely occu- pied by their rapidly growing business. The marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Eggers took place November 28, 1894, at Wabasha. Mrs. Eggers, whose name in maid- enhood was Minnie Siercks, was born in Winona, Minn., December 24, 1876, daughter of Hans and Dorothy (Stark) Siercks. Her parents were natives of Germany who came to America young and were married in this country. Her father was a laboring man nearly all his life, but for ten years he farmed near Hammond, this county. He is still living, and in 1919 had attained the age of 84 years. His residence is with his daughter Emma, at Millville, his wife having died in 1888. Their children were: Bertha. (Mrs. John Eggers, of Rochester), Will, who died young, Otto, Emma, Anna, Minnie, Helen and Fred,

GEO. H. VERMILYA

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the two last mentioned of whom are now deceased. Emma is the widow of Claus Schuchard. Mr. and Mrs. Henry H. Eggers are the parents of four children : Helma D., born July 17, 1896, who is residing with her parents; Arnold S., born June 19, 1899, who after graduating from the Plainview high school in 1918, entered a school of engineering at Milwaukee; Harvey L., born January 14, 1905; and Thomas H., born January 24, 1912. The family are affiliated with the Methodist Episcopal church. Politically Mr. Eggers is a Republican

George H. Vermilya, cashier of the First National Bank of Plainview, is a young business man and citizen of high reputation and wide personal popu- larity. He was born in Quincy Township, Olmsted County, Minn., December 5, 1893, son of J. I. and Mary A. (Hinton) Vermilya. The parents, who are of English birth, were married in Olmsted County, and for some time-were en- gaged in agriculture in Quincy Township, where J. I. Vermilya still resides. He is president of the First National Bank of Plainview. George H. Vermilya acquired his elementary education in the district school and was graduated from the Plainview high school in the class of 1910. His next four years were spent on the home farm engaged in agriculture, after which he became a stu- dent at Hamline University. In August, 1915, he came to Plainview as assist- ant cashier of the First National Bank, and served in that position until Janu- ary 13, 1920, when he was elected cashier. He has demonstrated his business ability to the satisfaction of the management and the patrons of the bank, which is a flourishing institution, and his future career is already well marked out along the lines of progress and success. He is a stockholder in the bank and in prosperous circumstances. Fraternally he is affiliated with Illustrious Lodge No. 63, A. F. & A. M., and with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He has closely identified himself with the best interests of the community in which he lives and is known to all as a good and reliable citizen. Mr. Vermilya was married October 25, 1916, to Leone Davis, who was born in Plainview, Minn., September 15, 1896. Their home has been enlarged and brightened by the birth of one child, Shirley Jean, on October 30, 1917. The religious affilia- tions of the family are with the Congregational church.

Horatio Wedge was born in Litchfield County, Conn., September 26, 1818, son of Silas Wedge, and grandson of Isaac Wedge, a veteran of the Revolu- tionary War. As a young man, he taught school during the winter terms, and in the open season worked as a charcoal burner. He came to Waterford, Ra- cine County, Wis., in 1884, and later started farming in Dodge County. He started with 160 acres and a log house, and gradually added to his possessions. At one time he was a land owner in Wabasha County, but never actually lived here, although a number of his family became leading citizens in the vicinity of Plainview. In Waupon, Wis., he served in various local offices, including those of assessor and member of the school board. After a long and useful life he died May 16, 1886. Mr. Wedge was married in 1838 to Lovisa Smalley, of New York State, and this union was blessed with eleven children: Henry D., born June 21, 1839, who died May 12, 1918; Ellen, born February 19, 1841, who died in infancy; Ellen (second), born March 18, 1842, who married Julius W. Mallory, and died September 30, 1918; George N., born February 15, 1844, who married Emogene Fuller, and died May 24, 1914; Jane, born September 25, 1845, who died January 27, 1852; Almira A., born August 7, 1847, who died September 3, 1849; Rosetta M., born May 20, 1849, who died June 28, 1872; James, born June 24, 1851, married to Isabella F. Chesebro; Seymour, born October 14, 1853, and died May 31, 1855; Eva, born October 1, 1855, widow of Charles Colvin; and Charles, born January 15, 1858.

James R. Wedge, a retired farmer and justice of the peace, is one of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Plainview Township. He was born in Dodge County, Wisconsin, June 24, 1851, son of Horatio and Lovisa (Smalley) Wedge, his parents having been natives of Litchfield County, Con-

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necticut, who removed to Wisconsin in October, 1843, and finally died at Wau- pon, that state. James R. Wedge was educated in the district schools of Wis- consin, and after laying down his school books took up the business of farming. In 1878 he came to Wabasha County, Minnesota, and bought a tract of 100 acres two and a half miles southeast of Plainview village. The tract was unimproved, and it devolved upon him to develop it into a profitable farm, a task that took many years of hard labor; but it was finally accomplished, and in September, 1897, Mr. Wedge retired from active work, turning over the management of the place, which he still owns, to his son, Ernest A. It is now equipped with good buildings, fences and modern machinery, and is one of the best among the small farms of the township. Five years ago Mr. Wedge was elected justice of the peace, and has since continued to serve, his incumbency of the office having proved highly satisfactory to his fellow citizens. He was formerly a member of the board of supervisors, serving as chairman for several years, and has also been treasurer of his school district. The First National Bank of Plainview numbers him among its stockholders. His religious affilia- tions are with the Congregational church. On January 2, 1873, Mr. Wedge was married to Isabelle F. Chesebro, at Waupon, Wis. She was born in Otsego County, New York, September 16, 1853, daughter of William D. and Mary Jane Chase. The family had migrated to Walworth County, Wisconsin, from which locality they removed to Dodge County, where they spent 18 years. The par- ents afterward resided in Fond du Lac and in Waupon, in which latter place they finally died. Mr. and Mrs. Wedge are the parents of three children: Ernest A., Paul J. and Margaret I. Ernest A., who was born at Waupon, Wis., November 12, 1873, and is now operating his father's farm, married Jennie Bell Reich, and has three children, Josephine B., Ellen M. and Harry James. Paul J., who is now cashier of the First National Bank at Miles City, Mont., married Catherine I. Buchanan, and has three children, June E., Cathryn F. and Joan Isabelle. Margaret I. is now receiving a nurse's training at Eitel Hospital, Minneapolis.

Rodman Burchard, one of the best known of the early settlers of Green- ville, at one time a flourishing hamlet, but now only a memory, was born in Paris, Oneida County, New York, December 26, 1808. He there received such education as the neighborhood afforded and there grew to manhood. In 1845 he went to Wethersfield, Wyoming County, in the same state, and shortly after- ward came westward to Michigan, where he planned to make his future home. But being stricken with the fever, and attributing his illness to the climate, he returned east, and took up his home at Gainesville, New York. There, De- cember 23, 1847, he married Esther A. Davis. He still, however, had the pioneering spirit, and accordingly purchased a farm in a little developed por- tion of the state of Virginia. But already the Abolitionists were making them- selves felt, and after all preparations were made to move his family to his new place, he decided that he did not care to share the troubles which he felt were in store for the slave States, so he disposed of his purchase, and turned his attention to the Middle West. Starting out with his family, he in due time reached the Mississippi and took a steamer up that river. At Wabasha he disembarked, loaded his goods on a team which he hired, and with his family started for the new village of Greenville, where former friends from the East had already settled. Upon his arrival there he formed a partnership with the Richards Brothers, and opened a general store in a log house, his family living on the upper floor, and accommodating such travelers as desired lodging and meals. Trade increased so rapidly that the firm was soon compelled to erect a larger building, and the Burchard family occupied all of the old store as a dwelling. There Mr. Burchard remained for many years, watching the decline of the village with sadness. His wife died June 10, 1866, and he moved his family to Plainview. Here, April 13, 1871, he married Margaret Crossen. Mr. Burchard died February 6, 1883. He was a man of good judgment, strong

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History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 51

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn Publication date: 1920 Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper Number of Pages: 1222

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn. cn
Publication date: 1920
Publisher: Winona, Minn. : H.C. Cooper
Number of Pages: 1222