History of Wabasha County, Minnesota, Part 93

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


USA > Minnesota > Wabasha County > History of Wabasha County, Minnesota > Part 93


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John N. Murdoch, the first city attorney of Wabasha, for many years one of the leading members of the bar of the county, and one of this city's early journalists, was a native of New England, having been born in Winchendon, Mass., September 23,. 1831. He was graduated from Brown University, at Providence, R. I., in the class of 1852, being then in his twenty-first year, and


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soon afterwards cast his first presidential vote, which was for John P. Hale, of Massachusetts, the freesoil candidate in 1852. In 1854 he was graduated from the Albany Law School, at Albany, N. Y. Having decided to seek his fortune in the Northwest, he came immediately to St. Paul, Minn. Though he resided there but a year, his ability and the strength of his character were recognized by his fellow citizens, and in March, 1855, he was sent as a delegate to the con- vention that was held at St. Anthony (now Minneapolis) to organize the Repub- lican party in the then territory of Minnesota, and took an active part in its proceedings. To that party he maintained his allegiance to the end of his life. On Sept. 17, 1855, Mr. Murdoch was married to Cynthia A. Baldwin, of Auburn, N. Y., and in the following year he removed with his wife to Red Wing, where their first child, Mary E., was born December 20, 1856. With this child they came in 1857 to Wabasha, where Mr. Murdoch began law practice, establishing an office on Main street. In the following year the city of Wabasha was in- corporated and he became the first city attorney. In 1864 Mr. Murdoch headed the electoral ticket, as elector at large, for Lincoln and Johnson. From 1865 to 1867 he traveled in the South, and from 1869 to 1873 was postmaster of Wabasha. He then went to Kansas, where he resided with his family until 1876, but with the two exceptions mentioned his life subsequent to 1857 was spent in Wabasha. In the fall of 1893 Mr. Murdoch took his son, John W., into part- nership, and they practiced law together until his retirement in July, 1896. For several years while engaged in his law practice he was more or less connected with the press of the city, having charge of the editorial columns of the Wabasha Herald, under Sharpe and Palmer, from 1871 to 1873, and resuming similar duties in April, 1881. His death, which occurred January 21, 1898, deprived the city of Wabasha of one of its leading and most respected citizens whose activities had been closely connected with its progress and development up to that time. Though not a member, he attended with his family the Con- gregational church of this city. His wife passed away January 16, 1904. To Mr. and Mrs. John N. Murdoch were born four children, Mary E., December 20, 1856; William L., August 12, 1858; Emily T., April 1, 1861; and John Wales, June 22, 1869. Mary E., who is unmarried, is now teaching in the public schools of Duluth. William L. in 1875 entered the employ of the Samuel Cupples Woodenware Co. of St. Louis, Mo., and was with them for many years. He subsequently went to Birmingham, Ala., where he engaged in the brokerage business, which business he is still conducting. Emily T. graduated from Wellesley College, Mass., in the class of 1883, being the first native of Wabasha County to complete a collegiate course. She married D. L. Dawley, super- intendent of the Wabasha public schools, and afterwards of the public schools of St. Paul, in which city he took up the practice of law and for years was law editor with the West Publishing Co. there. He died in St. Paul, where his widow is still residing. John Wales Murdoch is now a member of the well known law firm of Murdoch and Lothrop of Wabasha.


John Wales Murdoch, who for the last 25 years has been engaged in the practice of law in Wabasha city, and is now a member of the flourishing law firm of Murdoch & Lothrop, was born in this city, June 22, 1869, son of John and Cynthia (Baldwin) Murdoch. His elementary education was acquired in the public schools of Wabasha. In 1883 he entered Carleton College at North- field, Minn., where he was a student for three years. Then, at the age of 19, he went to Duluth, where for two years he was in the employ of the Wells- Stone Mercantile Company, dealers in hardware. Returning to Wabasha in 1888, he remained at home until the fall of 1890, when he entered the law de- partment of Michigan University at Ann Arbor, Mich., and was graduated therefrom in the class of 1893. In the fall of that year he was admitted to the bar of Minnesota, and entered into partnership with his father, John N. Murdoch, under the firm name of Murdoch & Murdoch. This partnership was continued until July, 1896, when the father retired and the son became asso-


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ciated with John F. McGovern in the firm of McGovern & Murdoch. The latter partnership was terminated by the death of Mr. McGovern on February 5, 1905, and John W. Murdoch subsequently practiced alone until May 1, 1916, when he became associated as a law partner with Hugh L. Lothrop of Mazeppa, and they have since carried on business under the style of Murdoch & Lothrop, occupy- ing the same offices that Mr. Murdoch's father occupied many years ago. The firm is a leading one in this section, having a large clientele, and Mr. Murdoch has personally gained a high reputation as an able lawyer. In politics he is a Republican. For several years he served as city attorney of Wabasha. For a number of years he has been secretary of special school district No. 1. He owns his own home in Wabasha, and also a cottage at Minneowah, just below Winona, where he and his family spend the summers, having been a member since 1902 of the Minneowah Club of Winona. His fraternal society affiliations are with Wapahassa Lodge, No. 14, A. F. & A. M., of Wabasha, and Rose Croix Lodge of Winona. During the recent period of war activities he served as government appeal agent for Wabasha County, also as chairman of the legal advisory board and was active in every phase of patriotic work. On September 22, 1898, Mr. Murdoch was united in marriage with Marie Lydia, daughter of John G. and Wilhelmina Klampe Bleifuss, of Olmsted County, Minnesota. For several years previous to her marriage Mrs. Murdoch taught in the public schools of Wabasha city. She is active in women's club work in this city and in various parts of the state, being president of the Wabasha Club, also of the women's clubs of the First Congressional District in Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch have three children: Helen K., born February 10, 1900; George B., born Feb- ruary 22, 1902; and Cynthia M., March 12, 1907. Helen K. and George B. are graduates of the Wabasha High School, and the former is now a student at Carleton College, Northfield; the latter a student at the University of Minnesota. The Congregational church of Wabasha numbers Mr. and Mrs. Murdoch among its active members, and for a number of years he has served it as trustee and treasurer.


Baltz Meyer, a pioneer of Wabasha County, now deceased, was a native of Germany, where he spent his early years, and on beginning industrial life worked for six dollars, one pair of wooden shoes and one suit of overalls as yearly salary. How he accumulated sufficient money to pay his expenses to the United States is a matter for conjecture, but in some way he got here, landing in New York with two dollars in his pocket. This was not a very munificent sum for a young man to begin life with in a strange country, and speaking a foreign language, but in some way he got along and in course of time married, for a while making his home in Columbus, Ohio. In 1857 he came farther west, locating on a 40-acre farm near Dubuque, Iowa. It was not a desirable location, as the soil was full of stones and rocks, but he remained there six or seven years, at the end of which time he sold out and came to Wabasha County, Minnesota, buying 120 acres of wild grub land in Pepin Township, 40 of which were located in section 20 and 80 in section 29. There was a small log house and a shack for a barn. He and his wife, Mary Catherine, had then three children, William, John F. and Mary, who soon learned to make themselves use- ful, the two sons breaking the land with an ox team, John F. and William driv- ing, while the father held the plow. Many acres were thus broken, and after two years the log house was replaced by a better structure, and other buildings erected. Other land was also purchased and developed, including the Matt Koenig farm of 122 acres in section 29, which was purchased in 1872. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer resided on the home place until their death, Mrs. Meyer passing away on February 19, 1888, and Mr. Meyer March 14, 1900. They were worthy people and highly respected. Their two sons are both farming in Pepin Town- ship on different parts of the family estate. William in section 20, and John F. in section 29. The daughter Mary married Bernard Henry Welp and settled near the old home. Her husband died at the age of 25, leaving her with five children, and she has since developed the farm and kept her family together.


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John F. Meyer, a retired farmer residing in Wabasha city, comes of an old pioneer family of this county, and has himself contributed to its agricultural development. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, October 26, 1849, son of Baltz and Mary Catherine Meyer. When a boy he accompanied his parents to a farm near Dubuque, Iowa, and in 1864 to Wabasha County, Minnesota, the family settling on a farm in Pepin Township, situated partly in section 20 and partly in section 29. He and his brother William helped their father to develop the home farm. In 1872 the father purchased the Matt Koenig improved farm of 122 acres in section 29, on which was a small log house and a few other buildings. Of this place John F. subsequently became the owner and made some notable improvements on it, building a good frame house, which he re- modeled in 1912 into a modern structure of nine rooms. He also built a barn, 36 by 48 by 16 feet, with full basement, together with corn cribs and a black- smith shop. There he followed general farming until 1911, when he turned the active management of the place over to his son Jacob, but continued to reside thereon until June 26, 1913, at which time he moved to Wabasha city, where he owns a good residence. During his active career he made a reputa- tion as a capable general farmer and was esteemed as a good neighbor and reliable citizen. In the fall of 1919 he sold the farm, the soil of which is pro- ductive and produces excellent grain. Mr. Meyer was married, June 2, 1872, to Magdalena Baker, daughter of John and Susan Baker, of Glasgow Township, her parents being farmers in Trout Creek Valley. Mr. and Mrs. Meyer have been the parents of eight children : Henry, born March 23, 1875, who is a farmer at Zumbro Falls, this county; Mary, born October 8, 1876, who is resid- ing at home; Jacob, born September 7, 1878, now living retired in Lake City ; Catherine, born May 6, 1881, who married Henry Kramer, of Ledgerwood, N. D., and died September 24, 1911; Margaret, born September 27, 1885, now Mrs. Ray Madden, of St. Paul; Peter, born September 19, 1883, who is a telegraph operator at Hastings, Minn .; Susan, born August 9, 1888, is a reporter in the Leader office at Wabasha; Della, born April 20, 1892, is the wife of Fred Schmidt, of Lake City. Mrs. John F. Meyer, who is still living, was born in Germany May 1, 1850, and came to the United States with her parents when a young woman. Mr. Meyer is a Democrat in politics, though not a strong party man. He served as treasurer of Pepin Township for a number of years and was for some time a member of the town board. He and his family are mem- bers of the Catholic church and of St. Felix parish.


Marquis Hendricks, of Greenfield Township, one of the early settlers of Wabasha County, with a Civil War record, was born in Illinois, March 20, 1840, son of Coleman and Clarice (Shurtlauf) Hendricks. The parents were natives of Virginia, who removed to Illinois, and later to Wabasha County, Minnesota, taking a farm in Cook's Valley, where they made their home until death, the father passing away in 1880 and the mother in 1890. Their son Marquis at- tended school in Illinois and later in Wabasha village and his early industrial years were spent in assisting his father. He then worked for ten years on the Mississippi river. After the breaking out of the Civil War he joined the First Minnesota Regiment, enlisting in Co. I in 1861, and was the first to enlist from Wabasha and the sixth from the county, and for four years was an active par- ticipant in the great conflict between North and South. The war over, in 1866 he turned his attention to farming, buying 100 acres on Sand Prairie. In 1876 he sold that farm and moved to Wabasha village, where he engaged in teaming. Then, in 1883 he bought 56 acres in section 2, Greenfield Township, on which he erected buildings and fences, and engaged in mixed farming and stock rais- ing. On this farm Mr. Hendricks is still residing, one of the best known and respected citizens of his township. He is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Congregational church. Mr. Hendricks was married Janu- ary 1, 1865, to Asenath Hitt, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Norris Hitt. Her par- ents were born in this county and lived for a number of years in Greenfield


MR. AND MRS. JOHN F. MEYER


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Township, their last years, however, being spent in Kellogg, where both died. To Mr. and Mrs. Hendricks nine children were born, Lillie, Charles, Gertrude, Arthur, Clara, Mary, Bessie, Julia and Frederick. Julia is now deceased.


Peter O. Palmer, a prosperous member of the agricultural class in Lake Township, is a man who has built up his own fortune through industry and perseverance. He was born in Landskrona, Sweden, February 17, 1867, son of Olaf and Elna (Pearson) Olson, and was educated in the common schools of his native land. His parents being poor, he had to begin industrial life at an early age, herding pigs, sheep and geese in the summer and attending school in the winter. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the Regular Army and after- wards he continued military training for three or four weeks annually. In accordance with military requirement he had to take a new name as a soldier, and the name Palmer was given to him, one which he has since retained. In 1889, at the age of 21, having received an honorable discharge, he resolved to better himself by emigrating to America, and accordingly set out, landed at New York, and came direct to Wabasha County, where his brother, Olaf Olson, who had three years before preceded him to this country, was living. During his first year in this county he worked as a farm hand in Lake Township. Then in the spring of 1890 he went to Minneapolis, where for four years he was em- ployed as a common laborer. Having returned to Lake Township, in this county, in 1894, he rented 80 acres of land and began farming. He remained at his first location but four years, and then in 1898 came to his present place, known as the Charles Crawshan farm, in section 21, a farm containing 220 acres, of which 200 are now under the plow. Here he has demonstrated his ability as a man of action, with a good knowledge of agriculture, raising abun- dant crops, keeping good stock, and having an adequate equipment of modern tools and machinery, including a good touring car. His success has been com- mensurate with his efforts, and each year sees him farther advanced. He is an American citizen, both naturalized and in spirit, and is politically aligned with the Democrat party, though he exercises independent judgment in casting his vote, on particular occasions favoring the best candidate regardless of party. Mr. Palmer was married early in 1890, to Maria, daughter of Per and Anna Mary (Shuberg) Swensen, and a native of Sweden, who was born Octo- ber 29, 1862, and came to America on the same boat and at the same time as her husband. Four children have been born to them: Mabel Edith, October 17, 1890; Oscar William, December 29, 1891; Elsie Olivia, January 11, 1896; and Carl Harry, September 4, 1897. Mabel Edith is the wife of Menno Kobs, a machinist of Minneapolis, and has two children, Virginia Mary and Palmer William. Oscar William is working on the home farm with his father. Elsie Olivia was married, October 11, 1916, to Edwin Bade, of Lake Township, and has three children, Mary, Eleanor Agnes and Agnes. Carl Harry is residing on the home farm. Mr. Palmer is a member of the Masonic order, the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Modern Brotherhood of America. He was reared a Lutheran, as also was his wife, and their children have all been christened in the Swedish Lutheran church at Lake City.


Herman J. McDowell, proprietor of one of the old improved farms in Lake Township, situated in section 25, which he is cultivating with satisfactory financial results, was born in Chicago, Ill., on the site of the present Board of Trade building, May 11, 1880, son of Bernard and Elizabeth (Bishop) Mc- Dowell. The parents were respectively of Scotch and Irish descent, but both were born in New York State. They located in Chicago in 1847, and have since remained residents of that city, witnessing its wonderful growth, its partial destruction by fire in 1871, another disastrous fire in 1874, its rebuilding and extension, with many other historic developments. Bernard McDowell was for over 50 years an employee in the baggage department of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad and is now on the pension list of that road, retired, but still hale and hearty. Herman J. McDowell was the only child of his par-


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ents. The family being Catholics, he attended the parochial school, and in 1896 was graduated from the commercial department of De La Salle Institute. With this equipment he became bookkeeper for Quinn Bros., wholesale plumb- ers at the corner of Twenty-ninth and Cottage Grove Avenue. Later he be- came private secretary to the secretary of the Knickerbocker Ice Company, Chi- cago, and was promoted to city salesman for the building material which they handled, remaining with them for a year and a half. In 1899 Mr. McDowell entered the employ of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad as clerk in the baggage department. He was later promoted to the position of express messenger and remained with the company until 1912. In that year he came to Wabasha County, Minnesota, and engaged in his present occupation of farm- ing, buying his present farm of 125 acres in section 25, Lake Township, five and a half miles southeast of Lake City. This proved a wise move, as he has made good in an independent and paying business, to which he has shown himself well adapted. He does general farming, breeding Ayrshire cattle and Poland-China hogs, and has greatly improved his farm, which is very produc- tive. His ability and force of character have been recognized by his fellow citizens, and he is serving as a member of the town board and as justice of the peace. On October 8, 1912, Mr. McDowell was united in marriage with The- resa, daughter of John and Mary Koob, of Pepin Township. He and his wife are the parents of a daughter, Marcella Marie, who was born November 30, 1913.


Charles Grobe, one of the self-made men of Wabasha County, who from an humble beginning, has by long continued industry attained affluence, and is now one of the leading citizens of West Albany Township, residing on a farm in section 17, was born in Hanover, Germany, January 24, 1863. His parents were August and Johanna (Weidenmeier) Grobe, the father being a small farmer. In his boyhood Charles Grobe attended common school up to the age of 14 years. At 15 he began to learn the shoemaker's trade and worked at it subsequently for five years. In 1883, at the age of 20, he came to America and prolonging his westward journey to Minnesota, finally arrived in West Albany Township, this county, where he had an uncle. He at once became connected with the agricultural industry, finding employment as a farm hand with William Heinz, for whom he worked four years, and later with Joseph Benz, in whose employ he remained six years. During those ten years of steady work he never lost a day, and the money he earned, except what he paid out for necessities, was carefully saved to form a basis of capital for future independent operations. At last the time came when he felt able to branch out on his own account, and in order to do so more effectually, he wisely resolved to take a partner, for better or for worse, in the strenuous pursuit of fortune. Love directed his choice, and on September 26, 1892, he was united in marriage with Eda Bertha Frank, daughter of Charles and Julia Frank, of West Albany. She was born in Germany, January 17, 1874, and came to America at the age of 18 years with her brother Theodore, her father and another brother, Charles, having preceded them to this country. Mr. and Mrs. Grobe began home making on a farm belonging to Joseph Benz, in section 17, West Albany Township, which they rented for five years. Economy was carefully practiced by the young couple and both worked hard and, as a result, made progress. In 1897 Mr. Grobe bought the Richard Hammond farm of 160 acres in section 8, West Albany, and he and his wife moved onto it. There was a fair set of buildings and 145 acres of the land had been broken. Mr. Grobe grubbed twelve acres, remodeled the house, built a frame barn, 36 by 76 by 14 feet, with full base- ment of 9 feet, and a machine shed, besides making other improvements from time to time, as they were needed. On that farm he resided with his family for 20 years, the end of that period finding him well advanced on the road to prosperity. He was already the owner of his present place in section 17, having purchased it of Joseph Benz in 1902. It was only half a mile south of where


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he was then living, and was a farm of 297 acres, with 200 under the plow, and with a fair set of buildings. On moving to it in 1917, he leased the Hammond farm to his son William, and his main efforts both since then and previously, have been to develop the larger property. This he has done very effectually, having remodeled the house, now a modern, nine-room, two-story frame struc- ture; built a frame barn, 36 by 80 by 14 feet, with full basement of 8 feet, cement floors, steel stanchions, and running water; and also put up granaries, machine sheds, and a steel windmill, with the result of making it one of the finest and best equipped farms in this locality. In addition to this, he owns and operates a large threshing outfit, and is the owner of a 300-acre farm near Mill- ville, in Oakwood Township. This latter farm, 160 acres of which are under the plow, and which has a fair set of buildings, he rents out to a tenant. Since selling 160 acres to his son William, he has bought another 160-acre tract near Jacksonville, known as the Christ Hyde farm. On his own place Mr. Grobe is engaged in diversified farming, keeping good stock, his cattle, of the Shorthorn variety, numbering from 60 to 70 head. He has led a regular life, has shunned the saloon, and refrained even from tobacco, conserving his energies for the main duties of life, and in their full and exact performance has found no need for either stimulants or narcotics. He and his family are members of the West Albany congregation of the German M. E. church, of which he is a trustee. Throughout the 27 years of their married life he and his wife have worked together, and are now enjoying the results of the mutual labors. They have a high standing in the community, and have brought up their children in habits of industry, morality and religious observance. These children are as follows: William Carl, born September 15, 1893, who operates one of his father's farms, on rental which he bought in 1920, was married November 10, 1917, to Ella Fick, daughter of William and Christina Fick. He has one child, Ruth, born August 13, 1918. Vanda Alfrida, born February 2, 1896, as yet unmarried, is a trained nurse. She graduated from the Dorcas Institute at Cincinnati, then entered the Berthesda Hospital where she remained eleven months, and on account of sickness returned to her home, remaining nine months, then entered the Lake City Hospital, remaining there one and a half years; then entered the Minneapolis General Hospital where she graduated June 2, 1920. Charles John, born February 26, 1899, and Alfred Gothard, born July 15, 1903, are associated with their father in agricultural work. Florence Julia and Frances Johanna (twins), born August 22, 1904, are attending school.


Thomas Harney, who is well remembered by the old and middle-aged resi- dents of Lake Township, was in certain respects a remarkable man, one who conquered the favors of fortune to a greater extent than most of his con- temporaries in this region, and who, beginning with nothing, acquired wealth beyond his early dreams through innate force of character. He was born in Waterford, Ireland, April 4, 1833, and had good educational advantage which doubtless sharpened his wits and increased his natural capacity. Dissatisfied with the limited opportunities afforded him in his native land, he resolved to seek advancement in the Land of the Free, and in 1850, with a sister, Catherine, he took passage in a sailing vessel, and some weeks later landed in New York. For five years he remained in the East, then in 1855 he followed the Star of Empire westward, and arrived in Rochester, Minnesota, when there were only three houses there, and about three weeks in advance of Patrick Rahilly. There he bought land and remained until 1861. Then he made an exchange of land with a brother of Mr. Rahilly who had located in Lake Township, Wabasha County, and came here to live. The land was new and wild, but he began im- provements, and for some years led a bachelor's life. Then, in 1867, he married Elizabeth Doley of Rochester and they began domestic life on the farm. At times he worked out for very low wages, but he spent less than he earned and got along. His ruling passion was the acquisition of land: He bought, sold and traded it at every opportunity, and is said to have owned at one time or




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