Illustrated album of biography of Southwestern Minnesota : containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers...:History of Minnesota, embracing an account of early exploration...and a concise history of the Indian outbreak of 1862, Part 84

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago : Occidental Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 814

USA > Minnesota > Illustrated album of biography of Southwestern Minnesota : containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers...:History of Minnesota, embracing an account of early exploration...and a concise history of the Indian outbreak of 1862 > Part 84

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He is a man of strong, decided opinions, caustic and decisive speech, is feared by his foes, and respected by a wide circle of friends. Our subject has had the honor of raising the first oranges in Minnesota on his experimental tree claim. On his claim he has also a real coffee tree growing, besides inany other curiosities as well as plants and trees which most people think cannot be grown successfully in this northern climate.

LON. JACOB ARMEL KIESTER, an early settler in Blue Earth City, the county seat of Faribault county, Minnesota, was born in Mount Pleasant, Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, on the 29th day of April, 1832. His great-grandparents, on both the paternal and maternal sides, were Germans, and came from the old world and settled in eastern Pennsylvania before the American Revolution. His grandparents, Conrad and Sussana Kiester, emigrated to western Pennsylvania in their youth, and located in Westmoreland county when that region of country was yet quite new. Here the father of the subject of this sketch, David Kiester, was born. David Kiester married Miss Lydia Armel in 1831, and their children were-Jacob A. and Daniel B. Kiester. Lydia Kiester died in 1883 at tlie age of seventy-one years, and David Kiester died in 1888 at the age of eiglity-one. David Kiester resided all his life at Mount Pleas- , ant, Pennsylvania, of which place he was for niany years chief burgess and justice of the peace. He was a man of fine education and extensive reading, always taking a large in- terest in politics, and was a prominent and consistent church member from his youth until his death, and was ever highly respected for his unquestioned integrity and ability.

Jacob A. received his education in the common schools and at Mount Pleasant and

Dickinson colleges in Pennsylvania, pursuing with the exception of several studies, the usual college course, but did not graduate. He also spent four years of his youth in learning the mercantile business and book- keeping with an uncle, Jacob Armel, for whom he was named. He commenced the study of the law while yet in college, and removing subsequently, temporarily, to the city of Madison, Indiana, continued his legal studies in the office and under the direction of Hon. S. C. Stevens, formerly one of the associate justices of the Supreme court of that State. He was admitted to the bar at Madison in 1854. Some time after his admission to the bar, lie re- turned to Pennsylvania, still continuing his legal studies, having in the meantime his eye on the West as a promising opening for a young attorney. In 1857 the great "tidal wave" of immigration was directed to Minnesota, as it had been for several years previous ; and, in the spring of that year, Mr. Kiester came to Minnesota, intend- ing to locate at St. Paul, but the Capital removal bill having been passed, removing the Capital to St. Peter, he went thither. But the removal bill proved a failure and finding that property was held at exorbitant figures at that place he concluded to visit the Blue Earth valley. Arriving at Blue Earth City, he found only a few log cabins, but a country surrounding the place which he believed would at no distant day be one of the most productive, wealthy and popu- lous sections of Minnesota. In this he was not disappointed. Here he concluded to locate for the time being at least, and here he has made his home ever since. He engaged in the practice of the law, being the second attorney to locate at this village. In April, 1857, he was the plaintiff's attorney in the first law suit instituted and tried in the county. Judgment was rendered in behalf of his client. He was soon chosen

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county surveyor, which office he held for two terms. A number of important county roads which exist to this time were sur- veyed by him, and also the boundary lines of many farms and several additions to Blue Earth City and other work done pertaining to the business of surveyor. He was also elected register of deeds of the county, the most important county office in those days, in the fall of 1857, and this office he held for eight consecutive years, but declined a re-election. In consequence of being register of deeds, he became also the principal con- veyancer for many years in the south half of the county, and which continued to be the fact long after he retired from that office. He was elected a member of the State legislature and served in the session of 1865, representing a district embracing a large part of Southwestern Minnesota. Soon afterwards he was ap- pointed county attorney of Faribault county and held the office a large part of a term. In 1869 he was elected judge of the probate court, which office he still holds, being elected twice with but slight opposition, and for eight consecutive terms without opposition, and by the unaminous vote of the electors. Though so long in this office the remarkable circumstance has occurred, that no appeals have ever, as yet, been taken from his decis- ions. He was for some years a member of the board of education of Blue Earth City inde- pendent school district and was for two years president of the board. He has also held other local offices from time to time.

Mr. Kiester was married in 1859 to Miss Caroline Billings, daughter of Levi Billings, one of the early settlers in Faribault county. They have had six children, one of whom is now dead. Those living are Charles C., May F., Grace L., Oliver A. and Gertrude.

The first temperance society in Faribault county was a Good Templar's lodge, organ- ized at Blue Earth City in 1860, of which

Mr. Kiester was the first worthy chief, and held this office several terms.

Mr. Kiester was made a Mason in 1859 and was worshipful master of Blue Earth City Lodge, No. 57, in 1876 and 1877. He was mainly instrumental in securing for this lodge the largest Masonic library (and the first) in Southern Minnesota. It is a library of purely standard Masonic books. He was district deputy grand master in 1882 and 1883, and was grand orator of the Grand Lodge of Minnesota in 1885, and was subse- quently twice senior grand warden, and twice deputy grand master, and in 1889 was chosen grand master of Masons in Minne- sota.

Mr. Kiester and family are communicants of the Protestant Episcopal church, and he has for some years been lay reader of the parish. His political connection is with the republican party, in the organization of which, in Faribault county, he was the first mover in calling the first county and legislative conventions in 1857, and which organization he has continued to this day. He was also at one time a member of the Republican State Central Committee. He was an earnest supporter of the Union cause during the great Rebellion. He follows fearlessly the dictates of his own conscience and gives to religious, educational and fraternal institutions his hear- ty support. He has always taken an active . part in all public enterprises of a local char- acter and devoted much time and labor to securing a railroad for Blue Earth City. His tastes have always been of a studious and literary character, and he is a diligent reader of the current sciences and literature of the times. He has, since when quite young, been a frequent contributor to various newspapers and periodicals, usually under some nom de plume. For a number of years he employed his leisure hours in writing a complete his- tory of Faribault county, its first quarter of a century being volume first, which is now

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substantially finished, and which will be pub- lished at no distant day. One of the town- ships in Faribault county was named for Mr. Kiester.

REMONT S. GIBSON. This gentle- man has been a prominent factor in the later growth and development of Rock county, Minnesota. Until recently he has been proprietor of the Beaver Creek Roller Flouring Mills, which were destroyed by fire April 9, 1889, and he is still a resident of Beaver Creek, Minnesota.

F. S. Gibson is a native of Essex county, New York, where he was born September 23, 1856. He is the son of Rev. William and Hannah (McKee) Gibson, natives of Es- sex county, New York. The father was en- gaged largely in farming during the most of his life, but since twenty-one years of age he has been connected with the Methodist Epis- copal church as an exhorter and minister. The father moved to Floyd county, Iowa, in 1865, where he remained until 1887, when he removed to Beaver Creek, where he has had charge of the Methodist Episcopal church for two years. He connected himself with the Minnesota conference, and holds a ministerial relation with the church at Heron Lake. The father was a stanch abolitionist before the war, and enlisted in 1862 in Company G, Eleventh New York Cavalry. He served for one year, and then, on account of ill- health, resigned and returned home, hold- ing the rank of second lieutenant. In the spring of 1864, health being somewhat restored to him, he again enlisted in the Second Regiment Harris Light Cavalry, of New York, remaining with that regiment until the close of the war. He held the office of quartermaster and acted as drill- master for the regiment during his later ser- vice. His military career was of an exciting nature, and he was engaged in fourteen se-

vere battles during the last year's service. He was with General Sheridan in the Shen- andoah Valley and in Sheridan's raid around Richmond, and on to Appomattox, and was wounded April 6, 1865, at the battle of Har- per's Farm, or Sailor's Creek, Virginia. At that engagement his horse was shot from un- der him, and as the horse fell Mr. Gibson was caught beneath its body. From the ef- fects of this accident he has never fully re- covered, In the father's family there were ten children-John H., Catherine M., William T., Fremont S., George A., Emma G., Sarah F., Ida M., Frank E. and Charles Edward.

The early life of the subject of our sketch was spent with his parents on the home farm. He was given good educational advantages in the district schools. He remained with his parents until his marriage, after which for two years he engaged in farming in Chickasaw county, Iowa. He then went on the road and occupied his time by selling fruit trees for one year, after which he came to Rock county, Minnesota, and settled at Luverne. Until 1885 he engaged in handling farm machinery in Luverne and in that year sold out and removed to Beaver Creek, where he opened a private bank and operated the same for about a year. Then he organized the State Bank, with a capital of $25,- 000 and accepted the position of president of the institution. About the same time he organized the mill company, of which he was made president. It had a capital of $20,000. In September, 1888, he purchased all the rights of the milling company. In Novem- ber, he sold out his bank stock and retired from his connection with the bank. He then gave his entire time to caring for the exten- sive and important interests which clustered around his milling enterprise. The mill had a capacity of one hundred barrels of flour per day, had fourteen sets of rollers and was thoroughly and completely fitted with all modern milling improvements. This was

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continued until April 9, 1889, when, as stated, it was destroyed by fire, loss, $25,000 ; insur- ance, $17,000. He has been interested in various business enterprises in the county and purchased considerable property, being now the owner of three fine farms in Rock county. His name is indissolubly associated with the business history of Southwestern Minnesota, as he has assisted very materially in advancing the interests of Rock county. He built a fine brick business building at Beaver Creek in 1887, which cost over $4,500.

In matters of a public nature, Mr. Gibson has taken a prominent part and has affiliated with the republican party since he could vote. He was president of the school board, is a member of the Odd Fellows fraternity and is one of the substantial and prominent citizens of the county.

Mr. Gibson was united in marriage in 1877, to Miss Saphronia R. Clark. This lady was a daughter of William and Catherine (Souers) Clark, and is a native of Detroit, Michigan. She is a lady of excellent quali- ties and is highly educated. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson have had one child, Daisy M.

ALVIN M. BOOMHOWER is a farmer and stock raiser residing on section 26, Holly township, Murray county, Min- nesota. He came to this county with his father's family in 1866, his father locating a farm two miles west of the village of Currie, where he still lives. A biography of the father is found elsewhere in this work.

The subject of our sketch was born in Schoharie county, New York, May 3, 1851. At twelve years of age he came west with his parents, locating first in Dodge county, Minnesota, remaining there for some four years. He then came with them to Murray county. In about 1869 our subject went to Alma City, Waseca county, Minnesota, where

he received a good practical business educa- tion. He then returned to Murray county and located on a homestead three miles from the village of Slayton, making his residence on that land for some five years. He was then married and resided on a farm near the village of Currie, after which he came to his present place on section 26, of Holly township. He has a fine farm of 240 acres, and is engaged in general farming and stock raising. He has one of the best farms in the township, and his buildings are well protected by a grove of cottonwood, walnut and willow trees.

Mr. Boomhower was married in March, 1882, to Miss Carrie A. Quackenbush, a native of Wisconsin. She is a daughter of Justin Q. Quackenbush, a farmer by occupa- tion and one of the first settlers of Murray county. Mr. Quackenbush died in 1884. The subject of our sketch is a republican in politics. He is a member of the Sons of Temperance.

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OB WHITEHEAD is one of the ear- liest settlers of Pipestone county, Min- nesota, and is now one of the most influential and well-to-do citizens of Sweet township, where he resides on section 2. He was born in Tiffin, Ohio, April 6, 1831. His parents were Johnathan and Lucy (Hatch) White- head, both of whom were natives of Ohio. The father was by occupation a tanner and currier and was an influential citizen of the locality in which he lived. In about 1839 the parents removed to Ogle county, Illinois. The parents were professed Christians of the Methodist persuasion, but, as it will appear in this biography, young Job did not adhere to the religion of his fathers. Living most of his time on the frontier he learned to love that freedom of action and thought - that are characteristic of him.

The subject of our sketch remained with

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his parents thoroughout his early life, and with them went to Illinois, where he received his early education, such as could be had on the wide unsettled frontier, by going two or three miles to school, three or four months in the year. He was about ten years old when his parents moved to Ogle county, Illinois, then an unsettled county eighty miles west of Chicago, and there, upon the wide prairie, with the chance of education above mentioned, he lived on a farmn with his parents, and when supplies must be had would haul their wheat and produce to Chi- cago across unbridged streams and sloughs; and at night the "starry world above his head; his wagon box and blanket for his bed : "

" Then like the lamb when tired of play Lay down and slept the night away."

Under such conditions, watching the forces of Nature and their phenomena, it taught him those lessons of liberty and jus- tice so little practiced under our present form of government, which pretends to pro- tect the individual in his natural rights- the earth, the air. the water and the sun- shine-but steals them all away by legisla- tion and transfers them into the hands of a privileged class, yet still demands obedience to the powers that be, claiming they are or- dained of God.

In 1853, at the age of twenty-one, he married Rebecca Biggers, seventeen years old, daughter of Clark Biggers. After their marriage the young couple rented a farm and commenced keeping house with as little means perhaps as any one ever did before or since. Eight years after this marriage the anti-slavery war broke out between the North and the South; although willing to peril life and health in the cause of human rights, he did not enlist, although openly denouncing the crime of human slavery, black or white. His father and mother were

earnest abolitionists of the Garrison school, and the young boy must have nursed in those principles of humanity and liberty that have been the ruling force in his character through life. This biography would not be complete or truthful to leave out of this record the folly, the virtue and vice, the hopes and fears, the joys and sor- rows, that make up the sum of human life and the subject of this sketch has had more than his share of some of them. In 1860 he purchased eighty acres of land six miles southwest of Rochelle, Illinois, by con- tract to pay in four annual payments, and then commenced the struggle to make a home on the wide, unbroken prairies of Illinois. Having good health and an unlim- ited amount of energy it seemed a very easy thing to do. He had not yet learned that a few gold gamblers of the world controlled the price of his products and labor by con- trolling the money volume and transporta- tion. At this time, in 1856, was born to them a son-Henry Owen.

" Like rays of light in darkness drear Comes childhood's innocence to cheer, To nerve the arm and heart to bear, The heavy burdens of our care, Or we would sink beneatlı our load Nor dare the roughness of life's road."

After taking off one crop, building and breaking up, he found the proceeds were not enough to pay the cost of interest and labor, to say nothing of principal. He saw that debt must accumulate and without some unusual streak of fortune must eventually take the place, and he sold the improvements, settled up his business and hired his board at six dollars per week, including his wife and child. He had yet to learn that man was born to an inheritance of a certain amount of unoccupied land without money or price. Land should be as free to man as the air he breathes. If not he is a slave! Who owns the land, owns him that tills the land. Man

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can not be free until he has the right to go onto a piece of unoccupied land, improve it, sell his labor to whoever wants to buy and go somewhere else and do the same. After board- ing his family about one year he concluded to try again to buy a home. He bought eighty acres in the same county and here was born their second son, William Wallace; and three years after his birth, in 1863, feel- ing very uncertain of paying for the farm, he sold out and moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His parents also came to Cedar Rapids to live with him. He first moved his house- hold goods by wagon; a long and tedious journey, creeping along over the muddy and hilly roads with one small team of mules. However, he reached the place in safety, rented a house, got dinner and stood waiting forhis parents and family to come on the train. They came and were somewhat surprised to find they were so comfortably settled. Now, what to do was the question, as father, mother, wife and children must have a liv- ing, and every dollar had been spent in rent and house fixtures and a team of horses; but with health and strength he thought there must be some way to do it, so the next morning found him in hot pursuit of some- thing to do to keep the wolf of want from the door. But after searching the city from one end to the other and finding no employ- ment of any kind, although answering a dozen advertisments and each time disap- pointed, night found his courage giving way. The next morning found him more fortunate; he bought twenty acres of timber from Mr. Beaver, of Cedar Rapids, and bargained to pay for it by delivering sixteen cords of good body wood, to be corded in Mr. Beaver's yard, which he commenced to deliver im- mediately. This timber was growing on three very high hills and had to be cut and rolled down in the valley before it could be loaded on a wagon. Very few would have undertaken such a contract-it looked almost

impossible of accomplishment at the time. But Mr. Whitehead had already learned that there was more faith in immediate action, and that hard blows would accomplish much more than to have "the faith of a small mus- tered seed " said to "remove mountains." So he immediately commenced work on his contract, and by making some ingenious ar- rangements for loading, also shortening the distance to town, he then could make five or six dollars per day. He also kept two or three boarders, and it seemed as though they were on the road to success. In a little over a year having cut and hauled all the timber, from which he made altogether $1,500, and not finding any more team work, he rented a farm of a Mr. Gibson, on Crab Apple creek, eleven miles northeast of Cedar Rapids and moved there with his family, having laid up clear of all expenses $350. He determined to make farming pay better than the hard lifting and chopping in the hot summer. He adopted the rule to do what- ever he found to do in the best possible man- ner, and left nothing undone that might add to his success. When he came to plant his corn, to facilitate the cultivation he deter- mined there should be no crooked rows and marked it out as straight as a rope could be drawn. It was Mr. Gibson's pride to refer his neighbors to his renter's corn rows by saying in conversation " as straight as White- head rows of corn," and travelers would be heard to say, " Oh! they are the straightest rows of corn I ever saw."

In the fall, when he came to market his crop, which proved to be an average one, he found the price of wheat to be fifty-five cents per bushel; oats eight cents a bushel and corn fifteen cents per bushel, which would not pay the cost of production. Then he began to despair of ever being able by honest labor to make a home. He again sold out to the first emigrant going west, and gave immediate possession by moving

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out that afternoon, and packed up his house- hold goods, and left them in the care of Mr. Gibson, to be forwarded to any point that he might afterward direct. Previous to this sale he had been making some experiments in tanning glove leather, which he had partly learned from his father, who was a practical tanner and currier. Having made some important discovery in that direction, he determined to use them to his advantage. Tanning a few skins and making a full set of glove patterns, and printing a few thousand recipes, he then returned to Ogle county, Illinois, his former home, to spend the winter and give his wife a chance to visit her sisters and friends, upon his return to Illinois, find- ing there was a ready sale for his recipes and patterns, he immediately went to work, first offering his old friends one-half the proceeds for carrying him around, which was very liberal, as the sales would sometimes reach as high as thirty dollars a day. His plan was to take any kind of produce, and sell it in the first market, and so passed a very profitable and pleasant winter, and the next spring, in 1866, he moved to Story county, Iowa, near the college farm, and bought forty acres of unimproved land, and paid $400 cash for it, having saved from his sales $800, and now was the possessor of forty acres of land and $400 to improve it with. His first business was to build a house, looking around among the carpenters he found one who agreed to furnish lumber, lath and plaster, and build the house in a good, workmanlike manner for $400. In the meantime he had sent to Mr. Gibson for his household goods, which came in due time. By making gloves and mittens, it enabled him to break and fence the land with a good post and rail fence, paint the house and set out six thousand small trees. At this time he invented and patented a vehicle to run without horses, by combined levers and springs. He made a small model that cost him $75, and sent it

to Washington. Munn & Co., of New York City, were his agents, and he received a letter from them offering to put up a full- sized vehicle for $1,000, but, acting upon the advice of some wealthy friends he did noth- ing further with it. At this time was born to them, in 1869, a third son - George Ulysses, and it now seemed as though his efforts to secure a home had been successful and nothing could add to his comfort or happiness. A snug little home, three inter- esting children; free from the burden of debt, close to market and good schools-reasonable mortals would have been content. But Mr. Whitehead thought he must have more land. With three boys growing up, it looked as if he must secure a home for them if possible. Having received a good offer ($1,400) for his little home, he sold out and moved to Web- ster county, on the Des Moines river, and bought 160 acres, timber and prairie land, unimproved, for $7.00 per acre. He com- menced to improve by building 200 rods of ditch and about 500 rods of good post and rail fence-the first open fence built in the settlement, as the farmers let their hogs and cattle all run out. But Mr. Whitehead could not see the propriety of putting more value in a fence than the farm was worth, and eventually they all adopted the open fence, but not without a fight in the courts. But soon, in place of the crooked worm rail fence, appeared the straight post and rail or board fence, which added safety to the road and beauty to the farm. The first summer he rented land adjoining him. The second year his crops were all destroyed by a terri- ble hail storm, and he lost a span of work horses that cost him $400; and two valuable colts. Having lost two years of labor and $600 in horses, the wolf of want again looked in at the door. At this time (1871) was born the fourth child, a daughter named Lulu. In 1870 Dudley Whitehead, brother of Job Whitehead, had moved to

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Illustrated album of biography of Southwestern Minnesota : containing biographical sketches of hundreds of prominent old settlers...:History of Minnesota, embracing an account of early exploration...and a concise history of the Indian outbreak of 1862, Part 84

Author: Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Chicago : Occidental Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 814

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Chicago : Occidental Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 814