The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 62

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 986

USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 62

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Alexander R. McCorquodale, captain of Company II, Third Regiment. Minnesota National Guard, and one of the leading mer- «hants of Olivia, was born in Ontario, Canada, Jan. 23, 1878, son of August and Helen (Ross) MeCorquodale, born in Canada, of Scotch ancestry. The other children in the family were: James, Nellie, Cornelia, Margaret and Anna. The family came to Min- nesota in 1885. and in 1897 located in Olivia. Here August Me- Corquodale and his two sons. James and Alexander R., opened a general store. August MeCorqnodale died in 1903, and that year the business was incorporated as the Olivia Mercantile Co., with James MeCorquodale as president and Alexander R. MeCorquo- dale as vice president, treasurer and secretary. The subject of this sketch identified himself with Company H many years ago. With this company, mustered in as Co. IL, H4th Minn. Vol. Inf., he went south during the Spanish-American war and served until only mustered out. The company was reorganized in January, 1899, and in 1901 Alexander R. MeCorquodale became second lieutenant. In due time he reached his present position. Captain McCorquodale took an important part in the building of the present beautiful armory. His fraternal affiliation is with the Masonic order. Captain MeCorquodale married Helen Cham- bers, of Glencoe, Minn., daughter of George Il. Chambers, and they have one son. Roderick. George HI. Chambers is now in the lumber business at Mankato. Hle is a veteran of the Indian campaigns.

Gunder J. Lee, a leading citizen of Renville, was born in Sjorli, Yetere, Rendalen, Norway, April 24, 1847, oldest son of John and Kari (Halverson) Lee, the other children in the family being Martha, Regland, Ilelena, Johanna, Halver J. (for many years a prominent official of Renville county), and Kari. Gunder J. left Norway in 1868, found his way to Madison, Wis., and for a time lived in Lodi, in Columbia county, this state. There his sister, Martha, joined him. When his parents and the rest of the family eame to this eountry, in 1870, Gunder J. Lee bought an ox team at St. Peter and drove with a covered wagon to Ren- ville county, bringing two eows, supplies, and various household

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utensils. The parents located on one claim and he on another in section 10, Emnet township not far from what is now the city of Renville. The tract was all wild land and the Family under- went many hardships in building up the splendid farm which was connected with their name in after years. The parents achieved prosperity, became honored members of the community and at- tained a good age, the mother dying in 1884 at the age of sixty- two and the father in 1899 at the age of seventy-eight. Though owning a claim in Renville county, Gunder J. Lee was actively connected with the business life of Granite Falls for several years. For a time he worked in lumber camps. For a period he was a elerk in a Granite Falls store. Later he engaged in business for himself in that village. During this time he made frequent visits to his claim. Once when going from Emmet to Granite Falls afoot he lost his way, and finally after wandering about for a day and a half found himself at Atwater. In 1885 he made a visit to his old home and other points of interest in Norway. After a long and successful business career in Granite Falls he engaged in the mercantile business in Renville, where he erected the Lee block. In Renville. Mr. Lee still lives. He has served on the council here and as councilman and supervisor in Granite Falls and has helped in many ways to build up the community. He assisted in organizing the Security Bank, now merged in the First National Bank, and was elected one of its directors. Fraternally he is connected with the Masonie and Odd Fellow orders. Like his father before him, who helped organize the first Lutheran church in this vicinity, he is an active church worker and deeply interested in its progress. Mr. Lee is married and has three children.

Henry J. Schafer was born in Hanover, Germany, July 6. 1828. In the spring of 1857 he came to America and located at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked in the brass foundry until he with his family moved to Waymansville, Bartholomew county, Indiana, in 1857. He enlisted in the army and served the last year in the Civil war. At the close of the Civil war and after his discharge from the army he moved from Indiana in the fall of 1865. He, with his family, drove, by team, in company with his neighbors in Indiana, Herman Koester, H. Hackman and Fred Stemkamp, to Northfield, Rice county, Minnesota, where he lived on a farm for three years until he came to Renville county, Flora township, in December, 1868. He was one of the pioneers of Flora township. Renville county. He took an active part in organizing Flora township and also served as one of its supervisors and assessor for a number of years. He was one of the leading and most active politicians that the Republican party had in Flora township. Ile was county commissioner of Renville county for three terms, from 1880 to 1889. The last

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term of the office as county commissioner he did not complete, for he died on Dec. 25, 1888. He was Father of eight sons and four daughters. Hle was a strong, fearless and outspoken man, and he was considered one of the best county commissioners that Renville county ever had.

Fred A. Schafer, ex-county superintendent of schools, and at present a retail furniture dealer at Renville, was born in Riee county, six miles southeast of Northfield, Minnesota, Dee. 19, 1865, and came, with his parents, Henry and Mary E. (Von Strohe) Schafer, to Renville county, Flora township in Deeem- ber, 1868. F. A. Schafer worked on the farm until he was 21 years old. Ifis school days were very, very limited. He began to attend school during his tenth year, in a log school house. Dur- ing his twelfth year he attended school thirteen days during the entire school year and during his thirteenth year he attended only twelve days during the entire school year, which consisted of three months. When he quit attending the rural school in Distriet 22. Flora township, at the age of 18, he had no knowl- edge of grammar and physiology, but he was a master of arith- metie, and had a fair knowledge of the other common branches. At the age of 21 he learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked during the summer months for twenty years. His de- sire for a better and higher education never ceased, and on Oet. 1, 1889, he was one of the first three students that entered and registered at St. Paul's College at St. Paul Park, Minnesota, where he attended for three years, during the fall and winter months. six school months each year. He began his first experi- ence as a rural school teacher in Distriet 8, Flora township, in the fall of 1892, where he taught a term of four months. He taught school five years in Renville county, one year in Distriet 8, two years in Distriet 9, and two years in Distriet 58, known as the Gunnert school. In Inne, 1900, he graduated at St. Paul's College, where he completed two courses, the normal and com- mercial course. Ile attended the Winona State Normal School during the Fall term of 1900 and the spring term of 1901. Dur- ing the summer of 1900 he was U. S. census enumerator of Flora township. He has also been assessor of Flora township for three consecutive years. 1897. 1898 and 1899. He taught school in Scott county, Minnesota, for four years, 1902 to 1906, two years near New Market and was principal of the Lydia school in Scott county, Minnesota. He was elected county superintendent of schools in Renville county on the Republican ticket in the fall of 1906, and served for eight years, from Jan. 1, 1907, to Jan. 1. 1915. When he became county superintendent, there were only twenty-five rural districts receiving special state aid, but when he retired from the above position, on Jan. 1, 1915. Ren- ville county had 105 rural distriets drawing special state aid. At

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

AUTOR. LEMDE IND TILDEN MEINENTIONS

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H. W. LEINDECKER

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present Mr. Schafer is proprietor of a retail furniture store in the city of Renville, where he has resided since 1899. He is a self-made man, working for many years at the carpenter trade in summer in order to attend college in fall and winter.

Henry W. Leindecker, one of Renville county's most ener- getie and able workers in behalf of rural progress, was born at Keokuk, lowa, Ang. 3, 1876, son of John and Katherina (Ederer) Leindecker. John Leindecker was born in Geneva, Prussia, Germany, and at the age of sixteen years came to Cheboy- gan, Michigan. In 1861 he enlisted in the Union army for three months, and at the end of that period re-enlisted and served throughout the war. He was a brave soldier, and did efficient service in the Second Missouri Volunteer Infantry under Gen- eral Franz Sigel. For many years, John Leindecker was fore- man and stove moulder in the Comstock-Cassel foundry at Keo- kuk, lowa. His wife was Katherina Ederer who was born in Berlin, Germany, and, when fourteen years of age, came to St. Lonis, where she was married in 1862. Henry W. Leindecker was educated in the public schools of Keokuk, and as a young man learned the cigar-making trade. March 1, 1901. he came to Bird Island and operated a cigar factory for two years. For several terms he was town marshal. Since early youth he has been interested in Farming, especially in stock-raising, and sinee early boyhood all his spare time has been spent with the farm- ing people. In 1910 he purchased a farm of 200 acres six miles north of Bird Island in Osceola township. This he sold in 1914 and, in the spring of 1915, purchased 160 acres adjacent to the village of Bird Island, which farm he still owns. Mr. Lein- decker is a breeder of pure-blooded swine. He was instrumental in planning and holding the first sale of pure-bred swine at the county fair. He organized the farmers to fight hog cholera and was the first president of the Renville County Swine Breed- ers' Association, in which he has seen the membership grow from eleven members to over eight hundred, the largest organization of its kind in any one county in the United States. He has also organized similar associations in the counties of Meeker, Me- Leod, Blue Earth and Watonwan. Mr. Leindecker is a collector of Indian curios and geologie specimens and has a most inter- esting collection, one of the best private collections in the North- west. Ile is a lover of the out-of-doors, a marksman and hunter. All in all, he is regarded as one of the county's most useful viti- zens. At a meeting of the Swine Breeders' Association held at Buffalo Lake, March 18, 1916, he was presented with a beauti- ful gold watch as a slight token of appreciation for the work he has done. Mr. Leindecker was married June 29, 1903, to Martha Selle, of Bird Island, and they have four children: Hardin John, born Jan. 23. 1906; George Henry, May 14. 1909: Kath-

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erina Bertha. April 1, 1913; and Ruth Martha, July 29, 1914.

William J. Heaney, Olivia's popular postmaster, was born in Quebec, Canada, March 22, 1860, son of Owen and Margaret (Perey) Heaney. Hle attended the public schools of Rochester, this state, and also of Henryville township, this county. His early life was devoted to farming. Since coming to Olivia he has engaged in the hardware, machine, automobile and real estate business. He was appointed postmaster in 1914. In addition to this he has been treasurer of Olivia for many years. Among his business connections may be mentioned the fact that he is a director in the People's National Bank. His fraternal affilia- tions are with the M. W. A. and the C. O. F. at Olivia, and with the K. of C. at Montevideo. Mr. Heaney married Katie Kirwan, who was born in Columbus, Wisconsin, daughter of James and Margaret Kirwan, natives of Ireland. Seven children have been born to this marriage: Inella (deceased) : Frank, who is cashier of the First State Bank at Glenfield, North Dakota; Wilford, engaged in ranching in Montana ; Percy, bookkeeper for a hard- ware and implement concern at Glenfield, North Dakota ; Ralph, and Homer, attending the local high school ; and Marguerite, who is attending the University of Minnesota. Mr. Heaney suffered considerable hardship as an early pioneer of the county. In Jan- uary. 1873, he and his father was out in the big blizzard which swept the country at that time. They were on their way to Willmar with two ox teams when they were caught in the storm, but after about four hours they were fortunate enough to reach a farm house located on the north county line and which was owned at that time by one Erick Wippen, where they stayed until the storm had subsided. After driving about five miles to- wards Willmar they came to the place where the three ('Neills and one Holden were found frozen to death. Mr. lleaney's father and Mr. Ilagher took Charley O'Neill to Willmar, from there he was taken to Minneapolis for treatment, where both arms and legs were amputated, but he died a few days later.

In 1876 the grasshoppers destroyed all the crops and Wm. J. Ileaney left home and went to Rochester, Minnesota, where he worked for three years, working in the summer and attending school in the winter months. The fall of 1879 he entered the employ of the C. N. Nelson Lumber Co., of Stillwater, for whom he worked for five years, working in the woods in the winter and on their farm in the summer months.

Owen Heaney, a pioneer of Renville county, was born in Ire- land. son of Thomas and Mary Heaney, who, when he was eight years old, brought him to a farm in the Province of Quebec, Canada, where he was reared, and where, when of suitable year. he took up farming and stock-raising. In the sixties he brought his family to Minnesota and located near Rochester. It was

W. J. HEANEY

THE NEW VO:" PUBLIC LIERAN

ASTOR. LENOX AND TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

PETER HAAN

NEW YORK 4 IL LIBRARY

. W. LENOX AND PO IA CATIONS

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in 1869 that he came to Renville county and located on a farm of 320 acres of wildl prairie land, eight miles south of what is now Olivia. Here he built a log cabin and started farming with an ox team. Ilis market was at New Ulm and often he bought supplies at Beaver Falls. In time he improved the farm and built a modern house and barn. Mr. Heaney held several town- ship offices and was one of the early county commissioners. HIe was a member of the Catholic church and helped organize the church at Henryville. Later he helped build the fine church of Olivia. Mr. Heaney was married in 1866 to Margaret Perey. Nine children were born to these parents. Thomas, JJames. Frank and Henry are deceased. William, Alfred, Arthur. Anna and Marie are living. William is postmaster at Olivia, Minnesota. Alfred is at Olivia, North Dakota, farming and ranching. Arthur is in the automobile industry at Minneapolis. Anna is Mrs. J. C. Kirwan, of Great Falls, Montana. Marie is Mrs. Fred Zachor, of Olivia, North Dakota. Owen Heaney died at the age of seventy- eight years, in 1902, and his wife died March 14, 1912, at the age of seventy-eight years. They are both buried in Olivia cemetery.

Peter Frederick Haan, a well-known real estate dealer of Renville, was born July 10, 1831, at Shunda, Province Gronin- gen, Netherlands. His Father was then in the grain business but in 1837 he bought a 100-aere farm in Burta, same province, and moved there in the spring of 1838. Peter F. attended common school and high school until fourteen years of age. In 1859, when twenty-seven years of age, he went to the capital of the prov- ince, Groningen, and bought and sold grain of all kinds. In the summer of 1882 he came to America. where he remained for three months, traveling from New York to Chicago, and from St. Paul to Winnipeg and to San Antonio, Texas, stopping off in various states, to see what chance there was for going into the land business. The same year he sold out his business in Groningen, and, with his wife and six of the children, came to America in December. 1882, loeating in Le Mars, Iowa, where he engaged in the land business. Two years later the firm of Prins and Kuch, who had bought mneh prairie land in Minnesota, asked him to become their main agent and representative for selling their land. He accepted and moved with his family to Olivia and a few months later to Renville, Minnesota. He sold thousands of aeres of land to many hundreds of now well-to-do farmers and is still in the business at the old age of eighty-four years. Mr. Haan was married in 1859 to Geerwina Oekelina Goeman, and this union resulted in fifteen children, of whom five died when very young. His wife died August 10, 1887. Seven of his children live in the United States, and two still in Holland.

In speaking of the early days. Mr. Haan says: "In April,

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1885, I came to Olivia, Minnesota, to be the main agent of the firm of Prins & Kuch, who had bought 11,000 acres of prairie land from the railroad company at $4.00 per aere. Mr. Prins in for- mer years had been my clerk when I was in the grain business at Groningen, Netherlands. Previous to this time I had been in the land business in northern lowa for about three years. In the fall of 1885 I moved to Renville, as that village with about 150 people lay closer to the bulk of the company's land. The priee of the land was set at $8.00 and a great deal of advertis- ing was done, especially in Michigan and Chicago, where many of the people from Netherlands had settled. Soon we had many prospective buyers who wished to see the land. With the help of a surveyor the land had already been divided off into seetions and quarter sections so that the buyer of a 160 or 320-traet could see exactly what kind of land he was getting. Our company bought all the school land to be had at $6.00 per acre. Between Renville and Willmar, over thirty miles distant, there were then only two or three farms, and only one in what is now ealled Holland township, where there are now more than 150 fine farms. "The climate is much milder now than before the settlement north of Renville. In the winter of 1886 I was out with two young men as far as Clara City. When we drove back to Ren- ville both men wanted to see an acquaintance and asked me to let them out and they would walk back to Renville. 1 did. Soon a snowstorm came up and I could not see anything. I did not even know in what direction the horses were going, but left it to them to find the way, which they did. I arrived at Renville almost frozen. The two boys who had visited their friend had left a short time before the storm came and were unable to find a place of shelter during the blizzard. They followed the storm from northwest to southeast for more than ten miles when they stumbled into a snowdrift and were buried. One of them man- aged to crawl out and, after a while, reached a house, where he was given shelter, though he was almost frozen to death. The other died in the snowbank and was found there a few days later by ten men from Renville who were out searching for him.

"We had some prairie fires which did some damage, but were only little troubled by the grasshoppers. In July, 1887, we had a terrible cyclone at Renville. I was at Clara City that day with some land buyers. We kept a sort of inn at Renville for the traveling public. as there was no other hotel in the village. We had a 14 by 14 kitchen behind our house in which my wife was working at the the. The storm lifted the kitchen up and set it over on end. This so frightened my wife that she died. In the fall of 1887 the company and some other gentlemen from Netherlands bought about 10.000 acres of land in Chippewa county around what is now Clara City. Their plan was to im-

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prove the land by breaking up at least forty aeres of a 160-aere farm and atso to build a house and barn on each 160 aeres and rent the tract for one-third of the yearly erop. I was asked to come over there and superintend the undertaking. A house was built for me in the middle of the to-be-rented farms. So I laid out what is now Clara City. We built about fifty farm build- ings and got renters for all in a short time. We also helped the people get churches in every one of the four townships, the com- pany paying $500 to each church. More than 5,000 people now live in plenty where, thirty years ago, there was hardly a living being."

August O. Johnson, proprietor of the "Sunnyside Farm, " Sac- red Heart township, was born on the place where he still resides, Aprit 15, 1875, son of Ole (Johanneson) Johnson and Lisa Hen- driekson Johnson. He attended the district schools, learned agri- enlturat pursuits from his father, and has devoted his life to farm- ing on the home place. To the original eighty in the north half of the northwest quarter of seetion 28, he has added 120 acres in section 21, also belonging to his father's farm, so that he now owns a splendid place of 200 acres of well improved land. The sightly honse was ereeted in 1895, and the barns and outbuild- ings have been built as necessity has required. There is an ex- cellent grove, a good orehard, and a plentiful supply of pure water. Three aeres planted to alfalfa are doing unusually well. While devoting his attention to general farming, Mr. Johnson has paid especial attention to Poland-China swine and ten of his herd are of pure blood. Mr. JJohnson was married June 3, 1907, to Christina Person, who was born in Koppomsberg, Swe- den, Oet. 23, 1887, daughter of Per and Maria ( Abrahamson) Johnson, who came to the United States in 1906, located in Mon- tevideo, Minnesota, and now live in Wigdahl, Minnesota. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have four children: Edith, born March 29, 1910: Adella, born Oet. 20, 1911 ; Melvin, born May 2, 1913; and Dorris Linnea, born Sept. 14, 1914. The family faith is that of the Hauge Norwegian Lutheran church.

August W. Rice, one of the early settlers of Sacred Heart township, was born in Toten, Norway, June 12, 1841, son of Wil- helm Rice, who, like his ancestors before him, was a farmer in that country. The children in the family were August W., David, Mathias, John, Olena, Tealena, (Hara and Carrie. Clara and Teatena are the only ones living. August W., Johan and Tealena and Carrie are the only ones who came to the United States. August W. Riee, the subject of this sketch, was reared in his native country and there married his first wife, Josephena, who died less than two years later, leaving one child, Sophia Wil- helmina, now Mrs. P. L. Colton, now living in Steele county, North Dakota. In 1868 Mr. Rice set sail for America, and landed

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after a voyage of some four weeks. He located in St. Peter, this state, worked on the railroad for a while, in 1869 located his homestead, then married Rondena Swenson in 1870. Rondena Swenson was born in Norway, March 16, 1835, came to America in 1869, aboard a sailing vessel, landing after a voyage of nine weeks. Then she came to St. Peter, where she was married. I 1870 Mr. and Mrs. Rice came to Sacred Heart township, and lo- vated on a homestead of eighty acres in section 22, where they started life as pioneers. They drove here with an ox team, and aside from household goods and provisions brought one cow. For a while they lived in a small log cabin. The mill was at New Uhm, many miles away, and the nearest town was Willmar, thirty-five miles distant. When money was an absolute neces- sity. Mr. Rice would walk to New Ulm, work there for a while to earn a little, and then walk back and improve his farm. The grasshoppers came to retard his progress and there were many other drawbacks. But the family in time prospered. erected good buildings, and added to their holdings uitil they owned 280 aeres. Mr. Rice was respected in his community, was supervisor of the township and a member of the school board, and was active in the Sacred Heart church, the services of which were often held in the school house on his place. He died on the home place, Feb. 1. 1906. His good wife died April 23, 1914. She had borne him three children: John A., Ole (deceased) and Minnie, now Mrs. P. O. Melsness.

John A. Rice, a well-to-do farmer of Sacred Heart township, was born in a log house on section 22, Feb. 1. 1872, son of Au- gust W. and Rodena (Swenson) Rice. He attended the district schools of his neighborhood and the graded schools of Renville, and was reared to farm pursuits by his father. March 24, 1896, he purchased his present place on section 24, Sacred Heart town- ship. The buildings were poor and the farm was not well de- veloped. Mr. Rice has erected a modern home and has made many other improvements. He sneeessfully carries on general farming and makes a specialty of Holstein cattle and full-blooded Duroc-Jersey swine. Mr. Rice is one of the originators of the Sacred Heart Farmers' Telephone Co., secretary of the Renville Slippers' Association, and a stockholder in the Renville Farm- ers' Co-operative Elevator. For nine years he has served on the school board of his distriet. He is an active member of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Renville and is at present serv- ing as one of its trustees. Mr. Rice was married Nov. 5, 1896, to Ingeborg Samnelson, a native of Sacred Heart township, and they have five children: Walter Cornelius, Dora Adeline; George Alfred, Inez Josephine and Mildred Cornelia Riee.

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The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II, Part 62

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co. Number of Pages: 986

Author: Curtiss-Wedge, Franklyn; Renville County Pioneer Association
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : H.C. Cooper, Jr. & Co.
Number of Pages: 986