The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume I, Part 48

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 890

USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 48

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Rev. Emil G. Fritz, the beloved pastor of the German Luth- eran Immanuel church, of Wellington township, was born in Now Ulm. this state, July 14, 1873. son of Christ and Augusta (Wehr) Fritz. The father was born in Germany on November 1. 1844. came to America in 1872, settled in New Ulm. in this state. and became a grain dealer. The mother was born March 5, 1×48. Emil G. Fritz attended the public and church schools of New Ulm, and then spent six years in the Martin Luther College, in the same eity. June 21. 1895, he graduated from the Evangel- ical German Lutheran Theological Seminary, at Wanwatosa, Wis. A month later, July 28, 1895, he was ordained at Mazep- pa. South Dakota, and the next day took up his duties as pastor of eight congregations with headquarters at Henry. South Da kota. In the spring of 1899 he became pastor of the German Evangelical Lutheran church at Boyd, Min. From there, in August, 1912, be came to his present charge. Aside from being a deep student. a hard working pastor, and an ardent supporter of the cause of education. he has been prominent in the affairs of the German Evangelical Lutheran Synod. of Minnesota, in which he is superintendent of Home Missions. Rev. Fritz was married August 27, 1896, to Clara Lueck, who was born August 7. 1875. daughter of Gustay Lneck, a millwright of New Un, who died in 1885, and of Henrietta (Backer; Lneck, who died in 1896. at the age of forty. Rev. and Mrs. Fritz are the par- ents of tive children : Edmund, born June 26, 1897: Lydia, born July 13, 1898; Irma, born December 11, 1900: Esther, born De- cember 18, 1902; and Vietor, born June 3, 1910.

John Henry Bush was born in Dodge county, Wisconsin, April 11, 1860, son of Henry and Sarah (Ablard) Bush. The father was born and married in Lincolnshire. England, and started for the United States in 1853 with his wife and three children, spending about four weeks aboard a sailing vessel. One child died on the way and was buried at sea. The mother lied at Rochester, New York. The father was married in 1857

MR. AND MRS. JJ. H. BUSH

THE NEW YORK FUSLIC LIBRARY

X AND ATIONS

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HISTORY OF RENVILLE COUNTY.

to Sarah Ablard and lived in New York until the fall of 1858, when he set out for Dodge county, Wisconsin, where, for a number of years he rented, and finally purchased, a farm. In 1882 he came to Minnesota, settling north of Stewart in Mcleod county. where he lived six years and then moved to Osceola township, Renville county, where he spent his declining years and died at the age of sixty-six years. His wife is now living at Hutchinson at the age of seventy-seven years. There were seven children by this marriage: John, Nancy, Edith, Sarah, Lottie, Lillie, and Ira. John Bush was educated in the Fond du Lae county (Wisconsin) district schools, and after he grew to manhood engaged in farming. He learned the cheesemaker's trade in Wisconsin and in the spring of 1878 came to Minnesota, locating in Collins township, MeLeod county. The first year he worked in a cheese factory; then he followed railroad work for about six years. Next he learned the carpenter's trade and fol- lowed that for some time. Then he engaged in farming on his father's place, in the township of Osceola. After six years he moved to Hutchinson. Later he located a farm in Melville town- ship and farmed there three years. He next came to Hector, took the examination for rural carrier and has delivered mail on route 2, since July 1. 1906. Mr. Bush has held the office of con- stable several times in Osceola township and is a member of the M. W. A. and M. B. A., at Hlector. He is also a member of the Baptist church. Mr. Bush was married March 6, 1882, to Tillie Heaney, who was born in Germany, who came to this country with her parents and located in Minnesota. She died after two years, at the age of twenty-four, leaving two children, Osear Dayton, jeweler. at Barron, Wisconsin, and one child who died in infancy. Mr. Bush married a second time at Hutchinson, Mrs. Mary (Vangh) Peterson, widow of A. B. Peterson, and of northern Irish ancestry. . Three years after her marriage to Mr. Bush she died at the age of forty-eight years, leaving ten children from the former marriage.

August B. Anderson, an influential and respected resident of Hector, has been actively identified with the life and progress of the village for several years, and no small part of its pres- ent prosperity is due to his energetic efforts. He was born in Sweden, September 23. 1868, son of Bengt and Nellie (Peterson) Anderson, also natives of that country. In December, 1879, the family, then consisting of the parents and ten children, came to America, and after finding their way to Minnesota, located on a tract of timberland near Litelifield, in Meeker county. They set to work with a will, cleared, grubbed and broke the land, erected buildings as means permitted, and in time had as good a farm as there was in the neighborhood, ornamented by a good residence and substantial outbuildings. In 1900 the par-

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ents retired to Litchfield, where they remained until 1915, when they took up their home with Mrs. J. E. Rik, at Rosendale. There, at the ages respectively of eighty-three and eighty, they are spending the afternoon of life, surrounded by the love and care that their life of hard work and self denial has so richly deserved. The ten children are: Andrew, a farmer of Mt. Vernon. Wash- ington ; Bena, now Mrs. Swan Hasselberg, of Minneapolis: JJohn B .. a farmer of Danielson township, Meeker county: Nels B .. general merchant, at Balfour, North Dakota : August B., of Her- tor : Joseph, a farmer in Florida ; Lena, who died in 1882: P. B .. a banker and Inmberman, at Cutbank, Montana: Christina, now Mrs. .. E. Rik, of Danielson township, Meeker county : and O. E., a lumberman of Bismark, North Dakota. August B. Anderson came to America with his parents in 1879 and was reared on the home farm in Mecker county. He attended the district schools and the Litchfield fligh school, and as a young man engaged in the lumber business at Litchfield for seven years, and at Herman. Min., for three years. It was in 1893 that he came to fleetor as manager for the MeGregor Brothers' lumber yard. a position he held for seventeen years. In 1910 he purchased the Bagley elevator at Hector, which he has since condneted under his own name as sole owner, proprietor and active manager. Ile does a large business and his long career of honesty and integrity and fair dealing has won for him a wide patronage. In addition to the elevator, he also conducts a large retail coal and fuel yard. He has done valuable service as member of the village council continuously since 1896 and is now serving his second term as president of that body. He has likewise been an important fac- tor in the wonderful record made by the Heetor High school, having served on the board of education for the past nine years, two of which years he was president. Financially he is inter- ested in the State Bank of Hector, and the John Hokanson Grain Co., which owns a line of elevators in South Dakota. In both of these companies he is the vice-president. Fraternally he is a member of Hector Lodge, No. 158, A. F. & A. M., of which he has been master for two years. Mr. Anderson was married April 9, 1892, to Huldah Peterson, of Herman, Minnesota. This union has been blessed with the following children : Hubert ('., Geneva, Irma and Helen. Hubert C. was born July 5. 1893, graduated from the Heetor High school, and is now bookkeeper at the State Bank of Hector. Geneva was born May 28, 1895, graduated from the Normal department of the Hector fligh school, and is now a teacher. Irma was born April 9, 1897. and is now a student in the Normal department of the Hector High school. Helen was born December 5, 1903, and is attending the public schools. The family faith is that of the Methodist Epis- copal church.

THE NEW YOR PUBLIC LIBRA :

ASTOR. LIN IZ &N' TILDEN , .. ' \'

MR. AND MRS. E. L. COLBY

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Perry August Burggren, a successful photographer of Heetor, was born July 7. 1842, in Sweden, son of Swan and Mistena Burg- gren. In the family there were five children: Charles, Perry, John, Mary and Louisa. The Father and mother and children, and the grandmother and aunt on the mother's side. all started for America in 1853. During the seven weeks' voyage eholera broke out on board, and the mother, John, Louisa and Mary died and were buried at sea. The grandmother died after reaching New York City. The father then went to Indiana to join an unele on the mother's side and located near Milford, where he began farming. After two years he moved to Adick, Indiana, his son Perry going with him. Here he married again. He purchased a piece of land at Adick and after a period of ten years came to Cannon Falls, Minnesota, where he bought a farm and lived until his death at the age of seventy years. His wife is still living at the age of ninety years. Perry Burggren had received but few opportunities to secure an education. As a youth he worked on a farm. In 1863 he enlisted at Lafayette in Company D, One Hundred and Sixteenth Indiana Volunteer Infantry, for six months' service as private, and was under arms nine months, being sent to Tennessee, where he took part in fighting the bushwhackers. After being mustered out at Lafayette, he engaged in railroading on the Toledo & Wabash railroad. A year later he took up the work of a photographer, moved to Paxton, Illinois, established a gallery, and remained there for thirteen or fourteen years, coming to lleetor, Minnesota, in 1883. Here he opened a general store in company with Fred Isaaeson: the firm being known as Burggren & Isaaeson. After about a year they sold out their stoek and a photograph gallery was started, Mr. Burggren being the first per- manent photographer of Hector. Mr. Burggren has held the office of justice of the peace and is a member of the Swedish Lutheran church. In 1873 he was married to Emma Selberg, at Paxton, Illinois. She was born in Sweden and died in 1885. at the age of thirty years, leaving three girls and one boy, Martin, now of Minneapolis; Nellie and Tela, both of Minne- apolis, and Freda, now deceased. They all received a good education.

Edgar L. Colby, a prominent farmer of Heetor township and a gentleman of the old school. descended from early Colonial stoek, was born in Green Lake county, Wisconsin. September 27, 1854, son of George H. and Emma E. (Pardee) Colby. George H. Colby was born September 20. 1826, in Genesee county. New York, where his father settled after coming over the mountains from Vermont on horseback. Emma E. Pardee was born in Connecticut and was brought to New York by her parents. The young couple were married in New York, but after farming there a while set out for Wisconsin by way of the Great Lakes and located on a farm on

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the prairie section near Little Green Lake, Wisconsin, where they built a log cabin and farmed with an ox team. After seven years they moved to Waushara county, farmed there for Four years, then came to Minnesota and settled in Plainview township. Wabasha county, driving from Wisconsin with an ox team and covered wagon, bringing the following children: Dilazon P .. born Octo- ber 12, 1848: Electa F., born September 13, 1850 and died in 1909; William Il., born December 11. 1852; Edgar, born September 27. 1854; Mary A., born February 25. 1857 : Emma, born November 25. 1858. The following children were born in Minnesota: George. born March 23, 1861, and died October 19. 1887: Charles, born October 21, 1863: and Royal S., born September 13, 1867. The father purchased 160 acres of wild land, about twenty-five acres of which were broken, and put up a rude shelter for a house. Then he enlisted in Company G., First Minnesota Heavy Artillery. February 11, 1865, being honorably discharged and mustered out September 27, 1865, after service as fifer in the drum corps of his regiment. In 1869 he moved to Glencoe, MeLeod county, settling on a farm, where he remained until 1886, when he came to Renville county with his wife to spend their last days with their son Edgar L. Here he died November 23. 1912. His wife, who was born March 4, 1822, died August 13, 1907. Mr. Colby was a member of the G. A. R. post of Hector. Ile joined the Masomie lodge at Plainview, later belonged at Glencoe and held honorary member- ship in the Hector lodge at the time of his death. Edgar L. Colby farmed as a youth and coming to lector in 1877, began working for J. C. Edson, afterward district judge, on his farm of 320 acres in section 34, in Heetor township. This farm Mr. Colby later pur- chased. In time he added 160 acres more to the place and has made extensive improvements. He raises good stoek and makes a specialty of Shorthorn cattle, French coach horses, Poland China and Chester White hogs. Mr. Colby holds stock in the Farmers' Co-operative Grain Exchange of Hector. Ile has occupied several township offices, and is a member of lector Lodge, No. 158, A. F. & A. M. May 8, 1889. Mr. Colby was married to Augusta Koehler. born in Carver county, Minnesota, September 9. 1867. daughter of Fred and Anna (Reese) Koehler, natives of Germany. Fred Koehler came with his parents to America by sailing vessel when he was fourteen years of age in 1854. Anna Reese was only ten years old when she came with her parents in 1855. also by sailing vessel. Both l'amilies settled in Carver county as territorial pio- neers. Fred and Anna Koehler located a farm in Lake township, began their married life in a log cabin and owned an ox team. Mr. Koehler later moved to Hector, where he now lives. Ile has farmed and followed a commercial career in various places. Mr. and Mrs. Colby have four children: Ralph. of Superior, Wiscon- sin: Woodard, who is taking a seven year course as a medical

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student in the University of Minnesota ; and Edgar and Bernice. who attend the Hector high school.

William J. Hager, a public spirited citizen of Ilector, where he is successfully engaged in the jewelry business, was born in Silver Lake, August 6, 1890. son of Joseph and Anna (Totushek) Hager. lle was reared on the home farm, attended the district schools. and in 1910 completed a course in the Hutchinson High school. In 1910 he entered the Stone School of Watchmaking at St. Paul, from which institution he graduated the same year. Thus pre- pared he opened a jewelry store at Silver Lake. From there, in 1913, he came to Heetor and engaged in his present business. He has built up a good trade and enjoys a large and well deserved patronage. Mr. llager was married Angust 16, 1913, to Marion Bell, born at Glencoe, this state. August 29, 1891. daughter of John and Anna (Kehrer) Bell. In the Bell family there were eight children: John. of Savannah. Georgia; Michael, of Plato. Minnesota : George, of Cologne, Minnesota; Marion, now Mrs. William J. Hager: Franees, Barbara and Elizabeth, who are at home, and Katherine, wife of E. Il. Jungelaus, a Glencoe dentist.

Joseph Hager was born in Austria in 1865, was brought that year by his parents to Raeine, Wisconsin, and in 1879 to Silver Lake, where he married Anna Totushek, who was born in that township in 1874. They own 106 acres of land. and have four children. William J., Martha, Orrin and Ahna.

George E. Hokanson, the manager of the Hector Elevator, was born -July 19, 1885. in Renville eounty, the son of John and Mary (Eirekson) Hokanson. On completing his schooling at Hector he went to work for his father at the elevator and with the exception of a year spent at Watson, Minnesota, he has been in Hector ever since. When his father moved to Minneapolis he was made manager of the elevator. Ile is a stockholder in the John Hokan- son Grain Company, with branches at Minneapolis and Duluth. In polities he is an independent, easting his vote for the man who he believes is best fitted for the office. During the years of 1914 and 1915 he has been village councilman. He is Past Master of Ileetor Lodge, No. 158, A. F. & A. M. April 12. 1913, he was mar- ried to Anna Landblad. born October 2. 1888. in Pomeroy, lowa, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Anton F. Landblad. John Ilokan- son, born in Sweden, came to Ameriea when young. Hle was a farmer and entered on a timber elaim in Wright county. where he met and married Mary Eirekson, also born in Sweden. He eame to Ileetor in 1894 and in time acquired 320 acres of land. For thirteen years he was manager of the lector Elevator Company and resigned that position to move to Minneapolis, where he and his wife are now living. There were three children born of the union : Clarence, who resides in Chicago; George E .. of Heetor; Albert, of Lake City, South Dakota. Anton F. Landblad came to

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Renville county in 1911, and is now manager of McGregor Brothers' lumber yard. He has four children: Anna, the wife of George E. llokanson: Nettie and Arthur who are at home; Ethel, a trained nurse at Minneapolis.

George W. Leasman, a well known farmer of lector township, was born July 27, 1852, in Green county. Wisconsin, son of Charles II. and Wilhelmina (Schroeder) Leasman, both natives of Ger- many. who came to America by sailing vessel in 1848, a month apart, and were married in Illinois. Charles H. Leasman was a carpenter by trade and located a farm in Green county. Wiseon- sin, where he built a frame house and started farming with an ox team. In 1862 he enlisted in the Tenth Mounted Cavalry and served for three years. In 1872 he came to Minnesota, bringing a family of five children : George, Eliza, Ida. Frank and Andrew. In 1874 they came to Renville county, located on a homestead of 160 acres in section 24, Hector township and obtained a 160-acre tree claim in addition. There were no buildings on the land and so they erected a frame house and a straw barn. Here the father spent the rest of his days. He lived to preet modern buildings on his farm, and to see the place greatly developed. Charles Leas- man helped organize the school district of his loeality. served as justice of the peace, and was a member of the G. A. R. post of Hector. Ile died in March, 1897, at the age of seventy-nine years. His wife died at the age of eighty-five years in 1914. George W. Leasman was edneated in Wisconsin and engaged in farming and threshing. After coming to Hector township with his parents he secured 80 aeres in section 22 and a tree claim of 160 aeres. His first house on his land was an 8 by 10 shanty and the first barn on it was made of straw. After the place was improved he moved to Fairfax and entered the real estate and loan business with W. C. White, attorney. where he remained for two years. Then he entered the railway mail service, in which he continued for twenty-one years, first from Chicago to Minneapolis. then from St. Paul to Watertown, and later from St. Paul to Aberdeen. In the meantime he added to his holdings 160 acres in section 24, Hector township, and 200 aeres in Melville, which was later given to his children. He now has 160 acres in section 22 and 160 aeres in seetion 24, and farms them both, making a specialty of raising thoroughbred French coach horses. Jersey cows and Duroc- Jersey swine. In 1891 he moved to the village of Ilector while the chil- dren were attending school. but abont 1902 moved back to the farm in Hector township. Mr. Leasman has held several township offices. He was the first township treasurer, has been assessor for nine years, and has served as justice of peace for four or five years. He was one of the organizers of the Farmers' Co- Operative Elevator & Grain Exchange of Hector: was its first president, and is still one of its directors. Ile is also a director

MI TRI .:

GEO. W. LEASMAN

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of the Buffalo Lake Fire Insurance Co. and of the Swine Breeders' Association. He has been a member of the A. O. U. W. for about thirty years. Mr. Leasman was married in 1884 to Mary Jane Daulton, a native of Vermont, daughter of James and Margaret Daulton, who came to Minnesota about 1863 and located on a piece of land in Washington county where they both died. Mr. and Mrs. Leasman have had the follow- ing children: William, now residing at Madison, Minnesota ; George Ralph, of Minneapolis; Charles I., on a farm in Renville county; Guy F., at home: John JJ., of Glencoe; (layton L., at home : Archie A., at home; and one who died in infancy.

Gustav O. Lunder, a well known business man of Hector, was born in Ilo Land, near Christiania, Norway, August 8, 1858, sou of Olai Lunder, born in 1819, and his wife, Marie Lunder, born in 1834, farmers who came to America in 1869, locating at Stock- holm, Wisconsin, where they remained for about six weeks and then came to section 30. Cairo township, which was then in the Ft. Ridgely reservation, but which later was opened for settlers, at which time they pre-empted 160 acres of it. When they first arrived they built a rude dugout, broke the land and engaged in farming. After a time the dugout was replaced by a log house. in which they lived until 1886, when they moved to Murray county and engaged in farming. Olai Lunder died that year and his wife stayed there for a period of three years, then removing to Fairfax, this county, where she remained until 1901 when she came to Hector and has since made her home with her son. There were five children in the family: Anton. of Slayton. Minnesota : Gustav O., of Hector; Lottie, of Mitchell, South Dakota ; Angusta, now Mrs. William Shea, of Sioux City, lowa. and Alfred, of Fairfax, Minnesota. Gustav O. Under received bis education in Norway, and, with his parents, located on their claim in Cairo township. He, like his parents, endured all the experiences of the pioneer life, and remembers distinctly the four conseentive years when everything was destroyed by the grasshoppers. Ile remained on the farm until 1879, when he arrived in Hector and became elerk in the general merchandise store of C. H. Nixon, with whom he remained until January 1. 1890. Ile then purchased Alfred Carlson's interest in a hard- ware firm, which became Peterson, Lunder & Company. In 1892, together with Amund Dahl, they opened a hardware store in Bird Island. as Dahl, Peterson, Lunder & Company, dealers in hardware and implements. In 1889 Peterson, Lunder & Mahn purchased the elevator of the Cannon River Mig. Co., located at Heetor, and conducted it for five years, after which time it was sold. The firm was reorganized and meorporated under the name of the Heetor Lumber & Supply Co., with O. F. Peter- son, president : F. E. Renswig, vice-president, and G. O. Lunder,

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secretary and treasurer. llon. Peter Nelson, of Red Wing, was the fourth member of the company. In 1901 a half interest in the stock was purchased by Kennedy Bros. In 1903 the busi- Hess was discontinued as the Hector Lumber & Supply Co., C. IL. Freeman taking over the other half interest, and it became known as the Hector Hardware Company, with Mr. Lunder representing Mr. Freeman in the store. He continued in this position until 1905, when the entire business was purchased by the Johnson Hardware Company. by whom Mr. Lunder is still employed. Mr. Lunder has been on the village conneil and on the school board. He served as village treasurer for eight years, also as township treasurer, and was a member of the Republican C'entral Committee for one year. Gustave O. Lunder was united in marriage to Mary Dale in 1884. She died in 1895, leaving five children. Olga is the wife of Arthur Eynon. a banker at Bowden, North Dakota, and they have one child, Robert Allen. Ella is the wife of Dr. Harry E. MeKibbin, of Hector. Blanche lives in Minneapolis. Chester lives in Redfield, South Dakota, where he is foreman in a printing office. Herbert is a graduate of the Stout Training School of Menomonie, Wisconsin. MIr. Lander was married in 1897 to Helen Marshall, and by this marriage there is one child. Helen, a student in the Hector High school.

Ernest W. Rebstock, Ph. G., of Buffalo Lake, Minnesota, was born in Lewiston, Winona county, May 28, 1868, son of Ernest William and Frances (Bickel) Rebstock. Ilis father, Ernest William Rebstock. was born in Germany in 1833. emigrated to America when a boy and became a brass worker in Bridge- port. Connecticut, where he was married to Frances Bickel. born in Germany in 1837. Soon after their marriage they moved west on to a farm near Lewiston, Minnesota. Mr. Rebstock was elected register of deeds on the Democratie ticket, removed to the city of Winona and was re-elected to this office for four terms. Then he was elected city assessor of Winona, which office he held for twelve years. lle was also official county abstractor of Winona county. He died in Winona in 1911 and his wife died on the Tarm in 1874. They are both laid at rest in the Lewiston cemetery. In the family there were twelve children, of these there are five living: Charles, of Halbrite. Saskatchewan. Canada : Emma, wife of A. J. Smith, of Winona ; Carrie and John, of Joplin, Montana, and Ernest, the subject of this sketch. The first eight years of his life were passed on the farm near Lewiston. Minnesota. Later he attended school in Winona and graduated from the Central High school there and from the Northwestern Institute of Pharmacy at St. Paul. He was employed for a number of years by MeNie & Co. at Winona, and from there went to Chas. D. Whitall & Co. at Minneapolis,

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The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume I, Part 48

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Number of Pages: 890

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 890