History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 90

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

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

he is a Republican. Mr. Marshman has practically retired from his labors, hav- ing turned the farm over to his sons, who are operating it under his super- vision. Mr. Marshman was married October 11, 1880, to Amelia Nienow, of Elba, Minn., who was born September 27, 1860. Five children are the issue of this marriage, namely: Mary, born April 11, 1882; Clara, June 11, 1883; Alice, November 17, 1889; Roy, December 2, 1892; and Herbert, February 20, 1895. Mary is the wife of Eugene Holdridge of Quincy Township, Olmsted County, and has one child, Eunice. Alice is now Mrs. Charles Amos of Little Valley, Quincy Township, Olmsted County, and has two children, Rosemond and Paul. Clara graduated from the Winona General Hospital December 29, 1917, and is now a trained nurse. Roy and Herbert are residing on the home farm. The Marshman family are members of the Lutheran church.

Charles W. Carleton, a prominent member of the agricultural community in Plainview Township, where he owns and operates a farm of 170 acres, 120 acres in Plainview Township and 50 acres in Whitewater Township, Winona County, was born in Plainview Township, January 24, 1872, son of John M. and Sarah (Newton) Carleton. The father was a native of New Hampshire and the mother of England. They were married in Wisconsin in March, 1871, and in the same year came to Minnesota, settling in Plainview Township, Wabasha County. In 1874 John M. Carleton bought 120 acres in section 36, the land be- ing partly improved. He finished the work of grubbing and breaking, and later remodeled the buildings or erected new ones when needed, developing the farm into a good piece of agricultural property. After operating it until 1906 he retired, taking up his residence in Plainview, where he died in August, 1912. His wife died on the farm in 1892. They had five children: Charles W., sub- ject of this sketch; Ralph, a minister of the Methodist Episcopal church, now residing in Starkweather, N. D .; Ella, residing in Plainview Village; Lizzie Amelia, wife of William D. Hassig, of Plainview Township; and Daisy A., who is a stenographer now living in California. Charles William Carleton was edu- cated in the Woodland school and the public school of Plainview. From an early age he assisted his father on the home farm, and was its active manager after reaching the age of 21. In 1906 he bought the property, on which he has made a number of improvements, having erected a machine shed 24 by 64 feet in size, a hog barn 14 by 54, and a chicken house 10 by 24. He has also remodeled the house. He follows general farming, raising Shorthorn cattle for beef purposes, Poland-China swine, and other good stock, and is doing a paying business. Mr. Carleton is a member of the Plainview Shipping Association. He is clerk of School District No. 62, and politically is independent. His re- ligious affiliations and those of his family are with the Methodist Episcopal church. On June 12, 1907, he was married to Lulu E. Hassig, and they are the parents of two children: Harvey A., born October 18, 1908; and Ruth M., born July 9, 1913.

Charles Wehrenberg, who in partnership with his brother, Edward, is con- ducting a considerable farming business in Greenfield Township, was born in this township October 5, 1877, son of John H. and Anna (Frye) Wehrenberg. He acquired his education in the district school and worked for his father until 1905, when he became his brother's partner in the purchase and operation of the home farm of 320 acres in sections 20 and 29. In 1910 they bought an addi- tional 80 acres in section 29, where Charles is now residing. As general farmers and stock raisers the two brothers are meeting with much success, due to industry and a practical knowledge of the business. Their swine are of the Poland-China breed, and to improve their stock they keep full-blooded sires. In 1919 Mr. Wehrenberg built a new round barn 68 feet in diameter, and has made general repairs on other buildings. For several years he has engaged in op- erating a threshing outfit. Prominent as a citizen of his township, he held the office of town assessor for three years, and was a member of the town board of supervisors for an equal length of time. Charles Wehrenberg was married

EDWARD WEHRENBERG AND FAMILY

CHARLES WEHRENBERG AND FAMILY

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

October 18, 1910, to Lucy Graner, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Graner of Glasgow Township. He and his wife are the parents of two children: Stanley, born January 1, 1912, and Beatrice G., born November 5, 1914. Mr. and Mrs. Wehrenberg are members of the Methodist Episcopal church, and he belongs also to the Modern Woodmen of America and the Modern Samaritans.

Carl P. Engelhart, proprietor of an elevator at Mazeppa, where he is en- gaged in the grain business, handling flour and feed, and also coal, is an im- portant factor in the business life of the village, where he was born March 11, 1889. His parents were Peter and Alvina (Dablow) Engelhart, the father a native of Germany and the mother of Geneva, Freeborn County, Minn. Peter Engelhart came to the United States in 1867, locating first in Keokuk, Ia., where he remained two years, at the end of that time coming to Mazeppa, Minn. From 1869 to 1888 he followed farming, and then, coming to town, engaged in the implement business. Later he entered into the grain business, becoming proprietor of an elevator. In 1895 he retired. By his first wife, Alvina, he had four children, all now living, namely: Clara, wife of Ed. Freiheit, a mer- chant of Zumbro Falls; Elizabeth, wife of A. Jondreau, residing at Cohasset, Minn .; Christina, who lives at home, and Carl P., the subject of this sketch. The mother of these children died in 1895, the year in which her husband re- tired from business, and he subsequently married Anna Lemke, of Mazeppa, by whom he had a son, Peter C. a medical student in Minnesota University. Carl P. Engelhart was reared in the Village of Mazeppa and as a boy attended the public school here. On attaining his majority he went to Canada, where for four years he was engaged in the grain business. In 1914 he returned to Ma- zeppa and entered into the same business here, for two years operating the Farmers' elevator, at the end of which time he purchased it from the company, and has since been sole proprietor. He has shown good business ability, and is numbered among the prominent and well-to-do citizens of the village. The Blue Lodge of Masons numbers him among its interested members. Mr. En- gelhart was married at Cochrane, Wis., September 9, 1914, to Palma L. Rohrer, daughter of Gottlieb M. and Helen (Auer) Rohrer, her father being the leading merchant of Cochrane, and president of the village board since the organiza- tion of that village in 1886, besides having one excellent record in the educa- tional field, as postmaster, town and county official and supporter of important industries in his locality. Mrs. Engelhart's mother was born in Alma, Buffalo County, Wis., daughter of Adam and Barbara (Ballinger) Auer. Mr. and Mrs. Engelhart are the parents of one child, Audrey, who was born September 12, 1915.

Joseph Ford, pioneer of Mazeppa, was born in Delaware County, N. Y., in May, 1800. His father was a cloth-dresser, of whom he learned the business, and afterward moved to Madison County, N. Y., where he established and car- ried on the same business for a number of years. Subsequently he turned his attention to farming, which occupation he followed in his native state until 1855, in the fall of which year he came to Minnesota, locating on the site of Ma- zeppa. He at once pre-empted 160 acres of land in the north half of section 6, which he improved and for a number of years carried on farming operations, supervising his entire business in person until he was about 80 years of age, after which his son Orville D. took over its management. He died September 28, 1882. He was a highly esteemed member of the community, which he had done much to advance, having with his son, Orville D., platted the village of Mazeppa, including the water-power. He was a man of strong convictions, and with a reputation for probity and fair-dealing above reproach, and his life was that of a sincere Christian, a good neighbor and an active and useful citizen. He married Olive Lindsay, who died October 14, 1881, less than a year before his own demise. Their children were: Hattie, who died June 28, 1881; De- villo C., who died May 2, 1862; and Orton D., who is also deceased; Orville D., deceased; Adelia, widow of Louis B. Mathews of Lake City; Annette I. lives in Chicago, and Acsia, now Mrs. Wesley Kinney, of Lake City. , 1

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

Orville D. Ford, who with his father Joseph platted the Village of Ma- zeppa, was born in the Town of Lebanon, Madison County, N. Y., in August, 1827. He acquired a common school education in his native town, where he resided until September, 1855, when he came to the site of Mazeppa, Minn. Here he pre-empted 160 acres of land in section 30. Subsequently he bought three eighties and settled on the south half of section 6. The land forming the site of the village, which he and his father platted, was purchased by them of Judge Welch of Red Wing, who owned it under the original patent. Orville D. Ford spent his life after coming to Minnesota, in Mazeppa and Wabasha. Besides carrying on a farm, he was engaged in general merchandise and mill- ing, and when the Bank of Mazeppa was started he became one of its stock- holders. For a number of years he served as county treasurer. From his pur- chase of three eighties he sold a number of town lots. In 1873, in connection with his son, Edwin L., he established a boot and shoe store under the firm name of E. L. Ford & Co., and together they developed the enterprise into a large and prosperous business, adding groceries, clothing, dry goods, hats and caps, and other lines to the original stock. He took a lively interest in the growth and welfare of the town and took an active part in shaping its destiny.

He and an associate built and operated the first mill in Mazeppa. In 1880 he sold his interest in the mill and retired from business. He was the first presi- dent of the village council after its organization in 1856, and held the office of register of deeds for Wabasha County for five years. In 1858 he was elected to represent his district in the legislature of Minnesota and served until 1861, with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents. He died in Ma- zeppa, May 9, 1909, honored and respected by the entire community, and having been for more than half a century a prominent citizen of this county. Orville D. Ford was married in New York State, August 3, 1850, to Orille A. Day, The children born of this union were: Edwin L., Addie F., the last mentioned of whom married, first, June 21, 1888, John C. Gilman, and, secondly, May 18, 1897, William D. Kirkpatrick. Mrs. Orille A. Ford, wife of O. D. Ford, was a daugh- ter of Marvin and Eliza (Dunham) Day, the father born in New York State, December 26, 1802, and the mother June 30, 1805. He died March 17, 1888, and she, December 31, 1890. Their children were: Jerusha, born December 16, 1827; Orille A. (Mrs. O. D. Ford), born October 22, 1829; Cornelia E., May 3, 1831; Wallace W., March 23, 1833; Charles E., April 13, 1835; Betsey H., October 16, 1845 (died September 24, 1895), and Eliza, who is also deceased.

Edwin L. Ford, for a number of years a leading business man and promi- nent citizen of Mazeppa, was born in Madison County, N. Y., in 1851, and was four years old when he accompanied his parents to Mazeppa, Minn. Here he grew to manhood, as a boy attending the village school, where he acquired the elements of knowledge. His education was supplemented by an attendance of - two or three years at the University of Minnesota, and by a course at the Com- mercial College of Minneapolis, where he was graduated. On returning home in 1873 he established with his father, Orville D. Ford, a boot and shoe store, which was conducted under the firm name of E. L. Ford & Co. This enter- prise was started on a small scale, but grew in size, and finally developed into a large general mercantile business, dry goods, clothing, crockery, hats and caps, and other lines being added from time to time. Later other parties be- came interested in the business, including Orville G. Nichols, who when young had lived with the Fords, and later worked in the store, and who in 1912, four years after Mr. Ford's death, bought out the other partners, and became pro-

prietor of the business. Mr. Ford died June 3, 1908. He was an excellent business man, a model citizen, and a devoted husband and father. Besides de- veloping the large mercantile business above mentioned, he also successfully operated a lumber yard, of which he was proprietor at the time of his death. He was twice married: first in 1875 to Hattie Barnard, of Minneapolis, who died June 28, 1881. In 1884 Mr. Ford married Annie L. Fricke, a resident of

CARL S. NYGREN

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

Plainview, and daughter of Julius and Annette (Tebbens) Fricke, who were natives of Germany, from which country they came to Plainview, Minn., at an early date. In the Fricke family there were five children, one son and four daughters. Of the five there are four now living, namely: Augusta, who mar- ried Mathew Owens of Humboldt, S. D .; Minnie, widow of J. H. O'Connell, of Plainview, Minn .; Annie, widow of Edwin L. Ford, and A. J. Fricke, of Plain- view. By his second wife, Annie, Edwin L. Ford had three children: Paul L., Elizabeth E. and Edwin H. Elizabeth E. is the wife of H. S. Fairley of Fair- mont, Minn. Edwin H. served two years in the U. S. navy during the world war.

Paul L. Ford, a prosperous man of Mazeppa, was born in this village, Feb- ruary 11, 1885, son of Edwin L. and Annie (Fricke) Ford. He was educated in the public schools and at Carlton College, Northfield, Minn. His early indus- trial experience was gained in his father's lumber yard, and during 1906-07 he was in the State of Washington. From 1908, the year of his father's death, the latter's estate was conducted by the administrator of the estate, who turned it . over to Paul L. Ford in 1912, and the latter conducted it until 1915, when he sold it to Theo. Maas. Each spring and fall he is engaged in buying and selling produce. He also owns 130 acres of land within the city limits, which is operated by a tenant. Mr. Ford was married December 29, 1910, to Eva A. Franklin, daughter of George and Alice (Black) Franklin. Her parents came to Minnesota from New York and Illinois at an early day, settling in Mazeppa, where the father died. The mother is still living. In 1916 Mr. Ford erected a nice modern bungalow of seven rooms, in which he and his wife now make their home. They are people of wide acquaintance and popular members of Ma- zeppa society.

Carl Sigfred Nygren, former member of the Minnesota State Legislature, and now a dealer on a large scale in Minnesota and Wisconsin farm lands, with headquarters at Lake City, was born in the city where he now resides, August 17, 1870, son of Charles John and Maria (Johanson) Nygren. He passed through the common schools and was reared to agricultural pursuits by his father, supplementing his practical knowledge gained on the farm, with courses at the Minnesota Agricultural College in 1896. In 1897 he started operating a farm in Mt. Pleasant Township. He carried on general farming and made a specialty of stock and swine breeding. He was the first farmer in his vicinity to breed registered Shorthorn cattle, and his fine herd of 67 was the pride of the neighborhood. He also had a drove of pure blooded Yorkshire swine and one of good graded Poland-China swine. In 1909, after twelve years success- ful operation of the farm, he sold out, and moved to Lake City, where he now makes his home at the corner of North Garden and Woodbine streets. Upon locating in Lake City he became traveling salesman for the Climax Western Oil Co. of Minneapolis. Next he became salesman for the Western Oil & Grease Co. of Minneapolis, his territory covering Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona Counties in Minnesota, and also the northern tier of counties in North Dakota. In the spring of 1914, he became district agent for the Equitable Life Assurance Society, with headquarters at Lake City. In addition to this he was also agent for various fire, hail and cyclone insurance companies. In 1916, with John R.

Donahue, of St. Paul, as a partner, he engaged in the real estate business. He handles all kinds of real estate, but makes a specialty of farm lands in large tracts. In addition to the land which he acquires from time to time temporari- ly as a part of his business, he is the permanent owner of a tract of 240 acres of timber land in Aitken County, this state. His business holdings include stock in the Texas Oil Co., of Houston, Tex. Mr. Nygren was elected to the State Legislature in the fall of 1910, and served in the regular session of 1911 and the special session of 1912. He won a good record, was chairman of the Committees on Military Affairs, Agricultural Schools, and Agriculture, and a member of the Committees on Good Roads and Live Stock. Mr. Nygren be- longs to the Blue Lodge, Chapter and Commandery of the Masons, at Lake City

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

as well as to the Shrine at Minneapolis. At Lake City he is also a member of the Independent Order of Foresters, and of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. In 1916 Mr. Nygren filed as an Independent Democrat for a delegate to the Democratic National Convention at St. Louis, and won out by about 1000 majority, defeating Frank Sasse, attorney at Austin. He was married October 23, 1907, to Anna, the daughter of Frank W. and Mary H. Miller, of Lake Town- ship, this county. This union has been blessed with four children: Charles Franklyn, born April 6, 1910; William Freeman, born September 29, 1912, and died August 17, 1913; and Harry and Helen, twins, born June 6, 1915.

Kaspar Scheer, an early settler in Mazeppa Township, where he made a good record as a pioneer farmer, was born in Germany in 1837. He grew to manhood in his native land, where in 1872 he married Mrs. Susanna Seivert, widow of Pierre Seivert, and soon afterwards they came to the United States, accompanied by the two Seivert children, John and Nicholas. On arriving at La Crosse, Wis., they found they had to wait there a week before they could get a boat bound up the river, and when they finally disembarked at Lake City, Mr. Scheer had but twenty-five cents left in cash. They were met, however, at Lake City by relatives with an ox team, who lived in Mazeppa, and who brought them to the latter township. About ten days later they began housekeeping in a log house in the woods, the building being in such poor condition that when they awoke in the morning they had to shake the snow off the bed before they could get up. After working for others for two or three years Mr. Scheer and his family moved into the village, where he bought three acres of land and built a house. There he resided for the rest of his life, passing away in 1917. At the time of his death he had been a widower for sixteen years, his wife having died in 1891. They had four children, three daughters and one son. One of the daughters, Anna, died when four years old. The surviving children are: Katherine, wife of Cal Raymond, of Brainard, Minn .; Mary, wife of Frank Bunde, of Duluth, Minn., and George, who resides in Mazeppa. Mrs. Scheer's sons by her first husband, Pierre Seivert, are both living, John being a resident of Spokane, Wash., and Nicholas Seivert of Mazeppa.

Nicholas Pierre Seivert, the present postmaster of Mazeppa, was born in Itzig, Luxembourg, April 10, 1863, son of Pierre and Susana (Kauder) Seivert. The father was for a number of years a private tutor to children of rich parents, but later engaged in general mercantile business. He fell a victim to the cholera in 1870, and his widow subsequently married Kaspar Scheer, with whom, and her two sons by her first husband, John and Nicholas, she came to the United States about 1872, the year of her marriage to Mr. Scheer. They settled in Mazeppa Township, this county, where for several years they endured pioneer hardships, living in a log cabin in the woods, while Mr. Scheer worked out for others. At the end of that period they moved into the village, where they had a better house, with three acres of land. There Mrs. Scheer died in 1891, and Mr. Scheer in 1917. Nicholas P. Seivert was nine or ten years old when he accompanied his mother and step-father to Wabasha County. After arriving in Mazeppa Township he went out among strangers, working for his board, and also for a while attending school. At the age of twelve he hired out to a farmer, who paid him $50 for the first years' work, and $75 for the second year, after which he received $15 a month. Later he gave up farming and went to work in a cooper shop, learning the trade, which he subsequently fol- lowed for a number of years. He also worked five years in a flouring mill at Mazeppa and Wabasha. He then returned to the cooper's trade, which he fol- lowed three years in Wabasha, where he also engaged in closing out a stock of groceries for a Mr. Gross. After finally closing out his interests there he came to Mazeppa, where for nineteen years he was a clerk in the store of E. L. Ford. At the end of that time he engaged in the mercantile business for himself, con- ducting a store for five years in Mazeppa, or until August 24, 1916, when his place was destroyed by fire. In September, that year, he was appointed by

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HISTORY OF WABASHA COUNTY

President Wilson postmaster at Mazeppa, which office he still holds. He has been town and village clerk for several years, and has served as a member of the school board as clerk and president. Mr. Seivert was married January 10, 1887, at Mazeppa, to Catherine Bechen, daughter of Theodore and Catherine Bechen. The parents of Mrs. Seivert were both natives of Luxembourg, the father born in Kehlem. They came early to this country, as Mr. Bechen served in the Civil War as a private in an Iowa regiment. He and his wife had two sons and one daughter. Mr. and Mrs. Seivert have had five children, four of v hom are living. The one deceased was Mary, who passed away in February, 1918. The living are: Susan, wife of Joseph B. Threinen, of Watertown, S. D .; Theodore A., employed in a wholesale shoe concern at St. Paul; Kathryn, who is at home; John, a signal engineer associated with the Western Electric Co. of Chicago, who is assistant postmaster at Mazeppa. Theodore and John both served in the recent war with Germany. Theodore enlisted as a private in the Minnesota infantry, and was stationed five months at Camp Grant. John, who enlisted in the signal corps, also served five months in the United States. Mr. Seivert and his family are members of the Catholic church, and he belongs also to the Catholic Order of Foresters and to the Central Society. The family is one highly respected for neighborly qualities and good citizenship.

John McDonough, now living retired in the village of Kellogg, after a successful career in agriculture, is a worthy representative of one of the old pioneer families of Wabasha County. He was born in Galway, Ireland, June 24, 1848, remaining there one and a half years after his parents came to the United States, when he came with his grandparents to America. Residing successively in Vermont, Ohio and that part of the Old Dominion now known as West Virginia, he came with the family to Wabasha County, Minnesota, as a boy of six years, in 1854, their first settlement being made on a tract of land, including one quarter section, in section 1, which the father homesteaded in 1860. He afterward disposed of this land and bought 400 acres in the same township, which the son John helped to develop, working on the farm until 1869, and as a boy attending district school. In 1869 John went to Missouri, where he remained five years, being employed as foreman of construction for railroads in that and adjoining states. Then returning home, he remained on the farm for two years. He now engaged in farming for himself, buying a farm near Plainview, but after awhile he disposed of the place and bought another in Highland Township, and later 160 acres in the town of Watopa. On the last mentioned farm he resided for ten years, operating it on a profitable basis. At the end of that time he retired and moved to Kellogg, of which place he has since been a resident. He has sold a part of his farm, retaining 80 acres, which he has rented out to a tenant, and is now enjoying a period of well earned repose. He is a member of the Catholic church and of the Ancient Order of United Workmen. Mr. McDonough was married in July, 1878, in Highland Township, to Bridget Murphy, daughter of Timothy and Mary (Ryan). Murphy. Her parents were natives of Tipperary, Ireland, who came to the United States about 1853, and to Minnesota about 1858, settling in Highland Township. Mr. and Mrs. McDonough have had nine children: John, Mary and Joseph, who are deceased, and Edward, James, Julia, Timothy, Mary (sec- ond), and Bartholomew, who are still living. Bartholomew enlisted in the 318th Engineers, in the war with Germany, and was in the service for 18 months, 14 of which were spent in France-in the Argonne, at Sedan and Ver- dun, and with the army of occupation in Germany. He was honorably dis- charged at Camp Grant, Rockford, Ill., in June. 1919.

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History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 90

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