The history of Mower County, Minnesota : illustrated, Part 68

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago : H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 1246

USA > Minnesota > Mower County > The history of Mower County, Minnesota : illustrated > Part 68

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Gilbert Thompson, one of the old settlers of Freeborn county, lives in Newry, but owns considerable land in Lansing township,

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this county. He was born in Norway in 1844, came to America in 1868, to Grand Meadow in 1870 and to Neury township in 1871. Woods then covered that vicinity, and the fields were in five-acre lots. He worked his fields with a yoke of oxen and hanled his grain for many miles with them. There were no mowers or binders in that part of the country at that time, and Mr. Thomp- son had to cut his grain by hand, rake it together, and tie it while on the ground. He married Thora Scarabraaten, who has proved an able helpmeet.

William Preston Dennis, now living in Dodge county, where he has been treasurer of school district 64 for nine years, was a resident of Mower county for nearly a quarter of a century, and during that time was actively identified with its agricultural development. He was born in Clayton county, Iowa, June 1, 1858, son of Isaac and Mary (Brookskier) Dennis, natives of Kentucky, who brought their son, William Preston, to Mower county when he was eleven years of age. Here he attained to the years of manhood and followed agricultural pursuits. Eight years of his life have been spent in South Dakota, where he and his family went through the trials and hardships of pioneer life. He there served the county wherein he resided two years as sheriff. Be- coming tired of frontier life, he moved back to Minnesota, and has since lived on his present farm, being a very prosperous farmer. Mr. Dennis is an independent voter and affiliates with no church. He is the owner of 160 acres of land with substantial buildings and sixty head of fine stock. Mr. Dennis is a man of substance and standing in the community. He married Jennette M. Steele, daughter of George and Jennette (Marshall) Steele, and they are the parents of seven children: Floy I., Harvey J., William Roy, Ida May, Nellie Etta, Harrison D. and Charles R. Floy I. is the wife of William Driscoll, and they have three children. Ida is the wife of John Koehn, and they have two children. Nellie is the wife of Ingval Anderson. Mr. Dennis is well regarded in the community wherein he makes his home.

Sylvester A. Dennis, a pioneer of Mower county who arrived in 1857, was born February 19, 1816, near Columbus, Ohio, and was taken by his parents to Vermilion county, Indiana, when fifteen years of age. When about twenty years of age, he married Catherine Mathews, who was born in 1818 in Ohio. In 1849 Sylvester A. took his family to Allamakee county, Iowa, and there his wife died in December, 1850, leaving six children, after which in 1852 he married Rebecca Arnold, who also bore him six chil- dren. In May, 1857, Mr. Dennis came to Mower county, and for eight years lived in Red Rock township. Eight years later he traded farms, and secured a place in section 19, Waltham town-

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ship, to which farm he moved, and there continued to live until his death, December 17, 1867.

Isaac Dennis, a retired farmer now living in Lansing village, was born June 7, 1838, in Vermilion county, Indiana, son of Sylvester A. and Catherine (Mathews) Dennis. He was taken by his parents to Allamakec county, Iowa, in 1849, and came to Mower county in 1856 with five yoke of oxen to locate a claim for his father. Crossing the prairie from Calmar, Iowa, to Browns- dale, Minn., he found no wood to make a fire, and on the second day he took a box top from the wagon and split it up to make a fire to cook dinner. He broke the first prairie ever broken in Red Rock township. In 1869 he brought his family to Red Rock and here he has since continued to reside. He was educated in the common schools, all his school hours being spent in an old log schoolhouse. He farmed on his father's farm for several years, and later purchased the same for his own. He is now practically retired from active work. By his first wife, Mary J. Brookskier, a native of Kentucky, who died December 30, 1881, Mr. Dennis has thirteen children, of whom nine, five sons and four daughters, are living. The present Mrs. Dennis was Eliza Hart, daughter of Peter and Ann (Dowden) Hart, whom he married May 29, 1884.

E. E. Dennis conducts agricultural operations on a well- arranged, well-kept farm of eighty acres in Udolpho township, and is one of the substantial men of the vicinity, his interest in education being shown by the fact that he had served on the school board of his district for over eleven years. He was born in Clayton county, Iowa, February 9, 1862, son of Isaac and Mary (Brookskier) Dennis, natives respectively of Indiana and Ken- tucky. The subject of this sketen came to Mower county with his parents at the age of seven years, and was reared on the home farm, receiving such education as the schools of his neighborhood afforded. When he grew to manhood, he left home and worked out for a time before purchasing his present farm. When a youth, Mr. Dennis was for three successive years herdboy in Udolpho. In this connection he had many interesting experiences, and the first year had the excitement of killing fifty-two rattle snakes. Land at that time could be purchased for from $3 to $6 per acre. A short time after leaving home, E. E. Dennis was married, March 25, 1885, to Alice Dillie, daughter of Arrora and Catherine Dillie, and they are the parents of four children: Walter P., Pearl, Ernest and Glenn. Walter P. was married April 9, 1907, to Lorreta Driscal, one of Mower county's best teachers. Pearl married Robert Ward, May 17, 1908, and they have one child, Ruth.

Peter P. Dock, a retired farmer of Lyle village, is one of the estimable citizens of the county, who has made the most of the

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opportunities presented in this country. With little encourage- ment, and no help but his own energy, he has worked his way up, and has overcome difficulties and hardships that would have dis- couraged many. He was born in Norway, March 25, 1838, son of Peter Thompson and Caroline Peterson, his good wife. The father died in the old country when Peter was a small boy, and Peter had to help his mother in every way he could. He remained in Norway until 1861, when with his mother and his brother, Knute P., he sailed for America. His mother and brother settled in Blooming Prairie township, where the former took a homestead of 160 acres, and remained until her death. The brother, Knute P., remained on the homestead until his death, in the spring of 1910. After coming to America, Peter P. first worked out on a farm for two years in Iowa, earning little but his board. After this he took a homestead in Blooming Prairie township, Steele county, where he remained for four years. Times were hard, money was scarce and provisions hard to obtain, and often Mr. Dock had to do without the bare necessities. He sold his claim and moved to Mitchell county, Iowa, where he purchased 120 acres of land, which he broke, tilled and developed, erecting a fine home and other buildings, and later adding another 120 acres, making 240 aeres in all, it being one of the finest places in his township. There he lived, prospered and carried on general farming until 1903, when he sold the farm and moved to Otranto township, Mitchell county, where he purchased a 160-acre farm. There he lived until March, 1910, when he rented his farm and purchased his present home in the village of Lyle. He has re- modeled the buildings, and there in well deserved comfort he now lives a retired life. He is a Republican in politics and a member of the Lutheran church. Mr. Dock was married in August, 1865, to Susan Peterson, a native of Norway. To this union was born seven children : Peter P., Jr., of Hawley, Minn .; Sevar, of Bur- vick, N. D .; Theodore, of Sauk Center, Minn .; Oliver, of Lyle; Caroline, deceased; Rosa, now wife of Harry Farley, station agent for the Illinois Central, and Lena, who lives at home.

Clarence M. Emmons, a business man of Austin and manager of the Eelipse Lumber Yards, was born on his father's farm in Delaware county, New York, February 25, 1860. After receiving a district school education, he moved to Waverly, Iowa, clerking for two years, later being employed in a lumber yard at Sumner, Iowa, for a short time. In 1881 he went to Salem, S. D., operat- ing a stage line from that city to Sioux Falls during the next six months; later engaging in the livery business at Salem, in which he remained but a short while. Returning to Sumner, Iowa, in 1893, he spent two years in a lumber yard. He then removed to Manley Junction, Iowa, where he conducted a restaurant for a

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year, previous to his removal in November, 1897, to Austin, where he engaged in the ice business, remaining in this line two years. He then sold out and accepted his present position as manager for the Eclipse Lumber Company, in which capacity he has been very successful in building up and holding a large patronage. He is also a stockholder in the Farmers' Brick and Tile Company, of Austin. His political convictions are Republican, and he has served as alderman of the second ward two years. The Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows and the local commercial club number him among their active members. April 30, 1895, he married Julia Cummings, by whom he has two children: Alice, born at Sumner, Iowa, September 27, 1898, and Morton, born August 6, 1900. Mrs. Emmons passed away December 8, 1909. The family worships at the Methodist Episcopal church. The residence is at 108 South St. Paul street. Morton and Elizabeth (Michael) Emmons, parents of our subject, were natives of New York state, where the father followed farming until his death, which occurred in November of 1865. The mother passed away during the same month and year.

George W. Eastman, well known in Mower county, was born in Oconomowoc, Waukesha county, September 18, 1863. His education was acquired in the district schools of Mower county and in Darling's business college at Rochester, Minn., after which he taught school for six terms in Mower county. Mr. Eastman then engaged in farming in this county, but at present is prac- tically retired from that line of work, devoting his attention to grain and stock buying, also having a fire insurance agency. In politics he gives his allegiance to the Republican party. His fraternal associations are with the Modern Woodmen of America and the Masonic order. In 1893 he was joined in marriage with Edith Carll, daughter of Freeman A. and Eliza E. Carll. They have three children : Inez M., Edna I. and Dorothy E. George W. Eastman is a son of Charles and Ann (Kearny) Eastman, the father a native of England and the mother of Brooklyn, N. Y., their marriage occurring in the latter place. In 1855 they joined the westward tide of emigration, the father finally taking a claim in Windom township, Mower county, in 1862. He brought his family onto the farm two years later. His decease occurred May 17, 1907. His mother died March 19, 1888.

L. M. Eggen, for the past fifteen years town clerk of Nevada, in which capacity he has given general satisfaction, is one of the substantial men of the county. His well kept farm of 160 acres lies partly in Nevada township, this county, and partly in Union . township, Mitchell county, Iowa. Here he carries on general farming operations with much success, having been in possession of the place since 1893, when he purchased it from his father.

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L. M. Eggen was born in Racine county, Wisconsin, January 14, 1871, son of Rev. J. Muller and Henrietta (Rossow) Eggen, and with them came to Mower county in 1882, settling on the farm he now occupies. Being thoroughly convineed of the evils of in- temperance, Mr. Eggen votes the Prohibition tieket, and is an ardent worker in the cause of total abstinence. He and his family worship at the Lutheran church. By his marriage, June 1, 1893, to Libbie Larsen, daughter of Olie and Anna Larsen, he has three children : John, born February 6, 1895; Harriett, born January 24, 1898, and Walter, June 7, 1904. Ole Larsen, father of Mrs. Eggen, is dead, and Mrs. Larsen is now living in Brookings, S. D. Seven children were born to them : Nils lives in Brookings, S. D .; Louis lives in Taeoma, Wash .; Bennie is dead; Libbie is wife of L. M. Eggen; Bertha is in charge of the hospital at Volga, S. D .; Jennie married Dr. G. G. Eitel, of Minneapolis, Minn .; Clara is the wife of Dr. C. A. Anderson, of Rush City, Minn.

Rev. Johannes Mueller Eggen was born near Trondhjem, Nor- way, April 20, 1841. Until his confirmation he stayed at home, but then went to his uncle in the city of Tromso and accepted a position as clerk in his store, taking at the same time instruction in the grammar school with a view of entering the university. After spending two years in Tromso he studied at the university. From there he went to Bergen as instruetor in languages. At this time he thought seriously of going on the stage, but the desire of giving his time and talents to a better eause became stronger and he finally entered the seminary with religious work in view. After studying theology for one year he established a high school at Trysil, and held the position of principal for a number of years. Then he accepted a call from the Evangelieal Lutheran church in America and came here in the summer of 1865. He was, how- ever, urged by leading men of the Angustana Synod to enter the theological seminary at Paxton, Ill., to perfeet his theologieal education and enter the ministry. This he decided to do. He graduated in the summer of 1866 and was ordained the same year, accepting a call from the Lutheran congregations at Stoughton and Raeine, Wis. He served these for five years, residing at Raeine. In 1871 he moved to Luther Valley, Roek county, Wis- consin, where he labored until 1882, when he accepted a eall from Six Miles Grove congregation in Adams, or Little Cedar congre- gation and Mona and Lyle congregation, all in Mower county. This eall he served until 1905, when he resigned on aeeount of poor health. Rev. Eggen held several official positions in the church. For nine years he was secretary of the conference, for two years vice president and in 1886 was elected president of that body. Rev. Eggen has also written several books. Among these may be mentioned : "Confirmation," "Engagement," "The Im-

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portance of Missions," "The Sins of the Church" and " A Look at Our Times." In 1865 Rev. Eggen was married to Henrietta Rossow. This union was blessed with eight children, two of whom have died. The surviving are Lizzie, the wife of John O. Oas, teacher at Scandinavia, Wis .; Lawrence M. lives on the home place in Nevada township; Rena, the wife of A. M. Wilson, for- merly a merchant of Lyle, Minn .; Laura, the wife of Rev. M. E. Waldeland, of St. Ansgar, Iowa; Emelie, matron of the Thomas hospital in Minneapolis; Gustave, who is with the Chicago North- western railway at Manitowoc, Wis. Mrs. Eggen died in 1900 and Rev. Eggen was married for the second time in 1903 to Mrs. Gunhild Thorson. Rev. Eggen and wife spent the greater part of the past four or five years in Alabama on account of the for- mer's poor health. They now live with their son on the place he located upon when he first moved to this state.

John Fairbanks, justice of the peace and for many years a prominent and respected citizen of Mower county, was born at Royalton, Vt., March 24, 1840. His boyhood was passed on his father's farm, near Bethel, Vt., to which the family moved shortly after his birth. The district schools afforded him the education usual to those times, the outbreak of the Civil war calling him from his books. Enlisting in Co. F, 3rd Vermont Inf., May 10, 1861, he served with this company until May 3, 1863, being wounded at the battle of Fredericksburg and sent to an army hospital at Brattleboro, Vt., after his recovery being placed under detached service, from which he was honorably discharged Jan- uary 27, 1864. Returning to his family, he spent three years in Vermont, migrating west in 1869 and settling on a farm near Windom, Minn., on which he remained, carrying on general farm- ing, until 1879,. when he removed to Austin, where he engaged as carpenter and joiner. Mr. Fairbanks is a progressive in politics and is serving his fifth year as justice of the peace. The local post of the Grand Army of the Republic counts him an active member. October 8, 1863, he was married to Marina M. Newman, by whom he has eight children : Maud, now Mrs. Barr; May, Mrs. Stimson, a widow; Susan, wife of Al. E. Peaslee; Mattie, married to Frank Brown; Esther, living at home; Charles, of Seattle; Luke, located in Los Angeles, and Lee, of Minneapolis. Lorenzo and Esther (Bowen) Fairbanks, parents of our subject, were natives of New England, the father being born in Barnard and the mother in Royalton, Vt.

Albert Galloway, now deceased, will long be remembered in the community for his public spirited generosity, and the interest he took in educational progress. He was born in Newburg, Orange county, New York, October 6, 1822. His early manhood was spent on the farm, and at the age of twenty-four he went

ALBERT GALLOWAY.

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to Corning, Steuben county, in the same state, where lie was engaged in the lumber business six years. Later he went to Port Burwell, in Canada, and lived there until 1856, when he came west, intending to locate in Minneapolis. On the way, however, he met friends, who induced him to go to Chatfield instead. He therefore traveled with them on foot, from Winona, and after reaching Chatfield proceeded on to Frankford, walking all the way. Mr. Galloway then rode to Austin, arriving in the fall. Here he preëmpted a claim in section 17, township 102, range 18, clerking that winter in the store of Hanchett & Sprague. He proved up his claim the following November, and about the same time (1857) formed a partnership with D. B. Johnson, Jr .. in the mercantile business. For this store a building was erected from logs that he had sawed, the edifice standing east of the present site of the postoffice. After a year the partnership was dissolved, Mr. Galloway continuing the business alone until 1868. Previous to this he had purchased sixty acres of land in section 3, now included in the city limits of Austin, and here he lived, owning also 320 acres in section 24, Austin township, besides considerable other property. He was married in November, 1860, to Rosetta Carter, of Shefford county, Quebec, Canada, and to this union were born two children: William A. and Ellen R., the latter now being Mrs. C. W. Tyler. Mrs. Rosetta Galloway died January 1, 1865, and for his second wife, Mr. Galloway mar- ried, June 8, 1868, Amy M. Carter, widow of James Darrah, and daughter of John and Charlotte (Phelps) Carter, the former being a native of Vermont, and the latter of Canada. To Albert and Amy Galloway were born two children: Charles D. and John Elbert. Mrs. Galloway also has a daughter, Minnie Darrah, by her first marriage. Mr. Galloway died on October 6, 1907. He gave the land for the Southern Minnesota Normal college at Austin, and was deeply interested in it. He was also a charter member of the Masonic lodge at Austin, and at the time of his death was the last surviving charter member. William A. Gallo- way was married in 1883 to Rose Miller and they have three children: Ethel, Elmer and Ralph. Ellen Rose Galloway was married in 1888 to Winfield S. Stockman, and they have two children : Estelle M. and Amy G. Charles D. Galloway married Laura Slocum, daughter of Wesley Slocum, of Sibley, Iowa. The marriage took place January 1, 1897, and they made their home in Minneapolis until her death in May, 1902. Estelle M. Darrah, now Mrs. Charles B. Dyke, is the daughter of Mrs. Galloway by her first marriage. Mrs. Dyke has been quite prominent in educational matters. She was principal of the teachers' training school at St. Paul, has taught in the Normal school at Mankato, and has done institute work in California, in which state she

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graduated from the Leland Stanford University. Mrs. Dyke is now sojourning in Seville, Spain.

John Elbert Galloway, the well-known Austin fruit grower, was born in Austin township, son of Albert and Amy Galloway, and grew to manhood on his father's farm, which he still con- ducts. Aside from carrying on general farming, he has over a thousand trees in his orchard, mostly apples. IIe is an enthusi- ast in the art of raising apples, and has been very successful. He married Myra Warren, daughter of N. W. Warren, and they have one son, Cedric E.

Nels K. Goodwin, now deceased, was a hard working man of honor and integrity, and his memory will long be respected in the community wherein he lived. He was born in Norway, June 18, 1848, and was still in his teens when in 1866 he left his native country for America, landing at Montreal, Canada, and going directly to Iowa, where he remained for a short time. In 1870 he came to Mower county and settled in the town of Adams, and engaged in farming. Two years later he came to Udolpho, pur- chased the east half of section 29 from Barnard & Cooper, and made many improvements on the place, tilling the ground, erect- ing buildings, acquiring machinery, setting out trees and raising some excellent crops. Mr. Goodwin died August 10, 1900. By his wife, Sarah Thompson, daughter of Knute Thompson, the subject of this sketch had nine children: Martha, Knute, Carl, Celia, Theodore, Julia, Nels, Clara and Selmer. Of these but two, Knute and Nels, are living. Mrs. Goodwin died in November, 1907, from the effects of burns accidentally received while burn- ing dead leaves on the farm. Nels and Knute now manage the home farm, which consists of 320 acres. They also own another farm one mile west of the home place, which consists of 240 acres, which they rent out. They own in all 560 acres of good land. The brothers are well versed in modern agricultural methods, and their place is one of the model farms of the county, being well equipped with fine buildings and up-to-date machinery. Like their father before them, the Goodwin brothers attend the Red Oak Grove Lutheran church, and are well thought of in the community.

Moses D. Gue, now deceased, one of the pioneers of Fillmore county, just over the eastern line of. Mower county, was born in New York state and there spent his early days, being married March 20, 1848, at Boonville, Oneida county, New York, to Maria Hurlbert, daughter of John Hurlbert. Mr. Gue came west in 1850, and located in Wisconsin, where his family joined him some months later. From that time until 1856 he engaged in the manufacture of wagons at Portage, Wis. In the latter year he came to Minnesota and took up a government claim on the line

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between lowa and Fillmore county, where he engaged in farm- ing and other enterprises. He built his residence in the neigh- boring town of Lime Springs, and there resided until 1895, when he retired and came to Austin, where he lived until his death, May 28, 1904. To Mr. and Mrs. Gue were born nine children: Charles M., Mrs. Cornelia Miles, Frank D., Mrs. Alice Addison, Inez Gue (deceased), Mrs. Grace Pugh, Mrs. Cora Le Coque, Horatio S. and Herbert E. Charles M. is at Hamilton; Horatio Seymour is in Michigan, and Herbert F. is an operator on the Milwaukee & Northern. Mrs. Gue was born in Boonville, Oneida county, New York. Her father was a constable and collector at Boonville for twenty years and was the father of fourteen chil- dren, seven of whom are living, Mrs. Minerva Reed being eighty- nine years of age. John Hurlbert helped to build the first school- house and the first church in Boonville and was a good and loving man always. He was at Sackett's Harbor in 1812 when the British and Indians were making their raids. His father, Josiah, was a coaster during the war of the Revolution. Maria Hurlbert, now Mrs. Gue, was reared in Boonville, and tells with relish of the whipping she received in 1830 when four years of age, from her first teacher, a tory, Miss Willard, who thrashed her soundly for shouting "Hurrah for Jackson." Later Mrs. Gue taught school herself in New York state, starting at the age of seven- teen. She was married March 20, 1848, to Moses D. Gue, who died May 28, 1904. Mrs. Gue is very active for one of her advanced years. She is a capable business woman and looks after her own affairs. She is a member of the Christian church, and in these afternoon days of her life she reaps much benefit and sweet consolation from that faith, being a constant reader of all the published sermons pertaining to her church. She has always been a hard worker, and is still very industrious. She is eighty-four years of age, has raised a large family, for whom she acted as school teacher in the early days, has done much good and is highly esteemed and respected.

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The history of Mower County, Minnesota : illustrated, Part 68

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago : H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Number of Pages: 1246

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago : H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 1246