USA > Minnesota > Renville County > The history of Renville County, Minnesota, Volume II > Part 68
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Oscar A. Allen, attorney, Ilector, was born in Red Wing. Minnesota. June 20. 1863, son of C. J. Anderson and Christine (Peterson) Anderson. natives of Sweden, who came to America as young people, and after living in Indiana for a while, located at Red Wing, this state, in 1850. The father was a stone mason by trade and while in Red Wing engaged in draying. Later he moved on to a farm near Cannon Falls and became a successful and influential farmer. In 1887 he retired from farming and moved to Maple Plain in Hennepin county where he is still living. The mother died in 1908. Oscar A. AAllen attended the public schools of Cannon Falls and the Hauge Seminary at Red Wing one term, then entering the Gustavus Adolphus College at St. Peter, and graduating in 1885. During the summers of 1887-88 he took a commercial course at the Curtiss Business College in Minneapolis. In 1885 he tanght district school in Nicollet county and was principal in Grove City schools in Meeker county in 1886-87. In the fall of 1887 he was elected principal of the commercial department of Gustavus Adolphms Col- lege, at St. Peter, and was head of that department until 1899. During that time he studied law under Ex-Lieutenant Governor G. S. Ives and also took up the Sprague Correspondence Law Course of Detroit, Michigan. Ile passed his examinations and was admitted to the bar in 1898. The same year he opened a law office at St. Peter, Minnesota. In the spring of 1899 came to Hector where he has successfully contimed his praetice. Since 1900 he has been largely engaged in real estate business, being a leading figure in the Hector Land Company. Mr. Allen has held many local offices. He was president of the village council in 1906, when the village hall was built, and is now president of the board of education, of which he has been a member
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since 1901. le is a stockholder in the Hector Telephone Exchange. Frater- nally he is secretary of Hector Lodge No. 158, A. F. & A. M., of which he served two years as Master. He is also a member of the State Bar Associ- ation. The family faith is that of the English Lutheran church at St. Peter. Mr. Allen was married hme 18, 1890, to Anna (. Johnson, of Stockholm, Wis. They have one child. Florence C., who was born Jane 21, 1894, graduated from the Ileetor high school, took the academic course at the University of Minnesota and the home-makers course at the Stout Institute at Menomonie. Wisconsin, and is now a junior in the Domestie Science and Agricultural Departments of the University of Minnesota.
John A. Dalzell, attorney, Morton, was born in Waddington, New York, October 14, 1861. His father, Andrew Dalzell, a native of Ireland. was a produce dealer and farmer in New York and died in 1896, at the age of seventy-four. Ilis mother, Isabel ( Ricalton) Dalzell, is still living in Wad- dington at the age of eighty-two. John 1. Dalzell was graduated from the State Normal Training school, Potsdam. New York, on June 29. 1880. June 16, 1884 he was graduated from Hamilton College at Clinton, New York. He was third man in his class, stood first in mathematics, took first prize in physics, held the scholarship medal in languages, was prize speaker of his class, a leader on the baseball field and the football gridiron, and attained membership in the D. K. E. Another member of his class was George W. Hlinman, formerly owner and editor of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, and now president of Marietta College, Marietta. Ohio. Among the distingushed alumni of Hamilton college may be mentioned James Schoolcraft Sherman and Elihu Root. On November 19, 1586, Mr. Dalzell was admitted to the bar at Albany, New York, and practiced for three years at Waddington. New York. He came to Fairfax. Minnesota. in 1590, and remained for about one year, after which he moved to Gibbon where he stayed about five years. He spent eight months at Minneapolis and in March, 1898, lo- vated at Morton where he still resides.
Mr. Dalzell was elected to the state legislature in 1907 and has served two terms in that capacity. He is a member of the A. F. & A. M. at Morton, belongs to the Episcopal church. June 1. 1893. Mr. Dalzell was married to Frances Marie Phelps, of Fulton. Ilinois, who died April 4. 1897. leaving one child, Madge Isabel. who died November 17, 1901, aged six years. April 24, 1901. Mr. Dalzell was married to Evelyn McConnell, daughter of Alexander and Mary Archer) McConnell. The father was born Angust 4. 1831 and died February 19, 1903. He was one of the pioneer farmers of Renville county taking up a homestead on section 33, Birch Cooley township. in 1>64. The mother. Mary (Archer) MeConell, was born February 18, 1531. and is living in Morton with her daughter Lanra.
Lawrence M. Carlson, attorney. Renville. was born in Renville. Mine- sota, November 2, 1891. the third child in a family of six children. three boys and three girls. His father, Charles F. Carlson, was born in Bergen, Nor- way, in 1848, came to this country in 1887, settled in Renville, was married on May 22, 1887, at Montevidio. Minnesota, to Olea Holman, who was born in Konigsvingar, Norway. in 1855, and came to this country in Iss1. Law-
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rence M. attended the public schools of Renville, was graduated therefrom June 4, 1909, attended the Academic College of the University of Minnesota ; entered the St. Paul College of Law in September, 1912, was graduated therefrom and admitted to the bar in June, 1915, and is now engaged in the practice of law in the office of L. D. Barnard, county attorney, at Ren- ville. He is a member of the Delta Theta Phi law fraternity and the Phi Kappa Sigma.
Robert K. Stuart, attorney, Renville, was born in Ontario, Canada, in 1877, of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His preliminary education was received in the public schools of Owen Sound. Ontario, and at the Central University of Iowa, Pella, lowa, of which latter institution his father was for a number of years the president. Ile graduated from the law school of the University of Minnesota in 1905, and was awarded a post-graduate degree in 1906 by the I'niversity. He was admitted to the bar of Minnesota in 1905. Ile located at Sacred Heart, in Renville county, Minnesota, in the fall of 1906, where he practiced law for about four years. In 1910 he was chosen seere- tary, with office at Belfield, North Dakota, of the Holland-Dakota Land- bouw Compagnie, a Dutch corporation doing an extensive immigration and colonization business in western North Dakota. He was at the same time elected president of the First National Bank of Belfield, which position he held during his residence in Dakota. In September, 1912. he returned to Renville county to accept a position with the O'Connor Land Company and O Connor Bros. State Bank of Renville, and has ever since been identified with those institutions. lle was elected judge of the Renville Municipal Court in 1913.
CHAPTER XE.
RENVILLE COUNTY CHURCHES.
First Services Held in the County-The Church the First Consideration of the Pioneers-Leading Denominations-Story of the Organization, Growth, Pastors, and Work of Leading Churches Told by Clergymen and Laymen.
The church has ever been a chief con- sideration with the people of Renville county. Almost without exception the early settlers were of a religions turn of mind. Devont fathers of the Catholic faitlı brought religious consolation to the French and half-breeds living here while the county still lay in Indian territory. The name of Sacred Heart is the survival of the name given to a mission in this county by some devoted and now forgotten priest. The Protestant missionaries at Lac qui Parle and other places early preached the Gospel to Indians who roamed Renville county.
When the sturdy Germans of the Evan- gelical faith settled in the bottoms from Beaver Creek to the Sacred Heart, and those of the Methodist faith settled about Mud lake in Cairo township, their first thought was to hold services.
After the massacre, when the pioneers began to come back, one of the first de- sires was to maintain religious observ- ances. Services were held at first in homes. later in school houses, and finally small log churches were erected.
Outside of the missions conducted for the French, Indians and half-breeds, the oldest denominations in the county are the Evangelical Association and the Meth- odist Episcopal. The strongest and most numerous is the Lutheran church in its various divisions. The Catholic people has some splendid churches and schools. The Moravian, the Reformed, the Congre. gational, the Baptist and the Episcopal churches flourish here, and there are also several churches of other denominations. some of them being independent.
It was the desire of the compilers of this chapter to include In this work, in such a
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manner as to preserve it for all time, the history of every church in Renville connty, past and present. To this end over a thon- sand letters have been sent out. For the most part pastors and members of congre- gations have responded nobly. A few, however, have either failed or refused to send ns the desired information. In such cases, where it has been impossible to obtain the information from other sources, the omission is due to the pastors or peo- ple of the congregations themselves and not to the compilers. In some instances as many as five different letters have been sent to one pastor without result. There may be errors in some of the records here appended. This also is due to the lack of correct information by the pastors and people themselves. Every possible means has been used to give a correct and com- plete history of the county churches. Those who have assisted in this effort by con- tributing some of the splendid articles here appended deserve the thanks of their communities.
According to the censns of 1870 there were then no church buildings in Ren- ville county. There were, however, thir- teen church organizations: five Methodist Episcopal, four Lutheran, two Catholic, one Baptist and one Presbyterian. At that time there were also many neighborhood meetings heing held without formal organi- zation of a church body.
NORWEGIAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN.
Hauges Church in Renville County. (By Rev. Thomas Hanson.) Away up north, on the east coast of the North sea, lies a country called Norway. Its inhabitants are called Northmen, or Norwegians. These have not been enervated by the tropical sun or dazed by the equatorial climate, bnt have been spurred on and quickened to activity by the snapping cold and healthy climate that this country is noted for. The strong, sturdy, noble and brave men of this country were men of great achieve- ments and have figured conspicuously in the development of other countries and not least in the development of this grand country of the United States of America, the land of the free and the home of the true and the brave.
One of the first Norwegians to leave Nor- way's coast and strike out for the new world was Kleng Peerson from Stavanger, Norway. He landed at New York in 1821. After investigating the possibilities here he returned to his native land and in- duced 52 emigrants to follow him to this land in the spring of 1825, this being in fact the first real emigration of Norwe- gians to America. No more came until 1836, when the second expedition came from Stavanger, fifty-two in number. In 1837 another expedition came from Ber- gen, Norway. In 1840 about 1,000 had come and taken up their abode here. In
1850 there were about 12,000. In 1860 over 43,000. And so on until now Minnesota alone has approximately 400,000, and the United States about 2,000,000, of Nor- wegian birth.
Early settlements were made near Chi- cago, at Fox River, Ill. Later a settle- ment at Jefferson Prairie, Wis. From there on La Crosse, Wis., was the goal. Winneshiek county, lowa, was settled from this point, as well as many other points in lowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Not the railroads but the boats brought the emigrants in those early days. From Winona was settled Fillmore county, Min- nesota, so largely Norwegian. Later from Red Wing was settled Goodhue county, one of the most Norwegian places in Minne- sota. The boats could not reach further than St. Paul, on account of St. Anthony Falls. Hence they turned up the Minne- sota river to St. Peter. From this point was settled these western settlements at Fort Ridgely, Hawk Creek and even Nor- way Lake and Lac qui Parle.
Wherever these noble Norwegians set- tled they were true and loyal to their Christian faith and belief. No sooner was the log cabin built and the farm work started till they began to think of church and religious worship. They wanted their children baptized, their young instructed, the older admonished, their sick comforted by God's Word and the means of grace and their dead buried in a decent and Chris- tianlike manner. Hence they always at every new settlement wrote back to the older settlements or to Norway to send men who could preach the gospel and ad- minister the sacraments and perform the duties of the minister of the gospel.
In 1836 came Elling Eielsen, the first Norwegian Lutheran minister in America to the Norwegian settlement at Fox River, Wis. In 1843 he helped organize the "Evangelical Lutheran Church of America" at Jefferson Prairie, Wis., the first of its kind in the land of America. From this organization dates the Hauges Synod, to which organization the Hauges congrega- tion of Renville county, Minnesota, be- longs.
Fort Ridgely was the goal of settlers when Renville county was first populated. Among the early settlers were Hellek Ped- erson, Johannes Anderson Juve and others coming here as early as 1862. This first settlement was of short duration as the Sioux Indians made a savage outhreak in the fall of 1862, killing some of the first settlers, burning the homes of others and forcing the survivors to seek refuge at Fort Rigely, where a several days' battle was fought with the Indians. After this the Norwegians retreated to the older set- tlements further east. Several years later they again ventured out to Renville county, now followed by several more. They felt the need of a clergyman to administer to the needs of their souls, as well as they
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felt the need of bodily support. Rev. Lars Johnson, of Wisconsin, was sent for and came in 1866, but made only a short stay.
In 1867 Peder Nelson, a pious and good man from Fillmore county, Minnesota, came and settled in Camp township, four miles northwest of Fort Ridgely. He gatlı- ered the people in the log cabins and sod houses on Sundays, reading, praying and expounding God's Word. In 1868 more of his friends and his like came from the older settlements and from Norway to settle here. Among these might be men- tioned Ole Nesborg, Anders Hatlestad, Iver Branjord. Later came also Haagen Elstad, Ole Hogstad, Peder Lee and others, with large families and much interested in re- ligion and church work. In 1869 and 1870 Rev. Peder Thompson, of Lac qui Parle county, made several visits. In 1870 he began instructing a confirmation class and held the first confirmation at Peder Nel- son's log house in the fall of 1870. There were twelve young people confirmed. namely, Math. Killy, Ole Killy, Sjur Nel- son, Oline Korsmo, Hans Larson, Kristina Larson, Maria Skarnes, Indianna Skarness, Gurina Anderson, Anna Anderson and So- phia Borgema.
In 1871 the Hauges congregation of Ren- ville county, Minnesota, was formally or- ganized at Peder Nelson's log house in the Minnesota river valley, near the mouth of Three Mile creek. The congregation tendered a call to Rev. Peder Thompson, which was accepted. The settlers log houses and the pioneer school houses were used as meeting places for quite a number of years, as in the early seventies came the so-called "grasshopper times," which dealt a heavy blow to progress in all lines and left the people too poor to build churches. About the year 1872 Rev. Peder Thompson tendered his resignation and Rev. Johannes Halvorson came to take his place and filled same till about the year 1877, when he was called to Sacred Heart, Minu. The congregation was then served by Reverends Brohough, Utheim and Bo- yum until about 1882, when a call was ten- dered Rev. Carl Holter, of Norway Lake, Minn., who served till 1884, Then Rev. M. G. Hanson, the present president of Hauges synod, was called as pastor. He was assisted by Rev. O. Anderson and served the congregation from St. Paul, Minn., where he resided, until 1887, when he resigned and Rey. O. A. Ostby was called in his place, beginning his service in 1888. Rev. Ostby served until 1892. Rev. C. (. Rosing was then called and served until 1895. Then the congregation was taken care of by Revs. Utheim, Peder- son and Oppegaard. In 1896 a call was tendered Thomas Hanson, then a student at the theological seminary at Red Wing, Minn. Ile having calls also from other charges asked some time to decide. He finally decided for Renville county, begin- ning his duties as pastor of the Hauges
church early in 1897, after first graduating from the seminary and being ordained at St. Paul, Minn. Rev. Thomas Hanson has served the church as its pastor ever since that date.
In 1878 the Hauges church was built by the members of the church under the su- pervision of Haagen Elstad. In 1894 the Hauges synod held its synod meeting at this place. An addition was that year built to the church. In 1913 still another addition was built too, money for this being largely collected by Mrs. Thomas Hanson, wife of the pastor, but donated by members of the church.
The congregation has several months of parochial school every year for instruction of religion to the young. It has also a very large and active young people's so- ciety, as well as a ladies' aid society that has sent hundreds and thousands of dol- lars out for missions and aid for poor, be- sies helping to uphold the religious work in our own midst.
The congregation numbers at present something over three hundred.
The first cemetery was given by Erik Lokken, lying two miles west of Hauges church, used jointly with Franklin church. Some of the early interments in this ceme- tery were those of Johannes Anderson and Anders S. Korsmo. In the year 1900 a place for cemetery was bought near the Hanges church. The first interment in this cemetery was that of Hans Olson. Many of the old, faithful members have now gone to their final rest, but Hauges congregation has never lacked men and women who have been willing to do and to give and to help on the good work of upbuilding the kingdom of God and work- ing for the salvation of souls. Andreas Nilsen was the first song leader for the congregation. After him Ole Steffenson served in that capacity and now John H. Elstad has filled that place for a period of thirty years.
Rev. Thomas Hanson, pastor of Hauges, Franklin, Zions, Camp and Fairfax Luth- eran churches, was born at Immanuel church parish, Aspelund, Goodhue county, Minn., on February 3, 1871, being the son of Rev. Osten Hanson, for nearly forty years pastor at that place, and for many years president of the Hauges synod. Rev. Thomas Hanson was first sent to school at the early age of five years, dili- gently attending the English public schools during the winter months from that time on and attending parochial school during the summer months. This was kept up until 1885, when he was confirmed at Im- manuel church, Aspelund, Minn., by his father, Rev. Osten Hanson. At the age of fifteen, after being confirmed, he was sent to take up his studies at the Red Wing Seminary, Red Wing, Minn. Partly because he had to look after his father's farm interests and partly because he loved outside work as well as loving much his
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home community, he spent a couple of years out on his father's farmstead. How- ever, something seemed ever to be draw- ing him back to college, and he did not feel satisfied until he again took up his studies there. In 1895 he graduated from the college department. Having studied theology also during the senior year of his collegiate he was able to graduate (at the head of his class) in 1897, at the age of twenty-six years, having in the meantime taught school for many years during sum- mer vacations. Long, strenuous and many had been the years of school and he ac- cordingly had planned on a vacation be- fore starting in the ministry. But as the charge he had accepted a call from was without a minister, he went to his duties in 1897 not long after the close of the school year, first attending to the neces- sary preliminaries. On June 2. 1897, he was united in marriage to Julia Folling- stad, the lady having been teacher of musie in his home community for more than five years and during the same time being church musician at Immanuel's church. Aspelund, Minn. To this union six chil- dren have been born, namely: Inga, Mabel, Ernest. Joseph, Henry and Victoria. On June 7, 1897. Mr. Hanson was ordained to the ministry at St. Paul, Minn. Four brothers are all ministers, namely: the above mentioned, Rev. M. G. Hanson, pres- ident of Hauges synod; Rev. H. A. Han- son, of Chicago, and Rev. S. E. Hanson, of Jackson, Minn., all being the sons of Rev. Osten Hanson, Goodhue county, Minnesota.
Rev. Thomas Hanson has served as a minister of the gospel in Renville county for a period of eighteen years and is still serving there in that capacity.
Fort Ridgely Congregation. - (By Rev. P. H. Rognlie.) The first people of the Norwegian Evangelican Lutheran church came to the southeastern part of Renville county in 1861 and 1862. Among these set- tlers were Ole Sampson Kvam. sometimes known as Ole Quam, and his family; Hans Jorgen Halvorsen and his family, and two single men, John Hade and Conrad Hamm. At the time of the Indian outbreak in 1862 Ole Quam was killed by the Indians, as were also two of his children. His wife, Anna, with her infant child, as by a mira- cle. escaped the Indians, and hid for two or three days in the tall grass of the Min- nesota bottoms. Then, carrying her almost dead child, she started for Fort Ridgely, which she reached the next morning, al- most insane from fright, grief and starva- tion. She found there the other Nor- wegians who had escaped.
After the outbreak it took some years before the Scandinavians again began to immigrate to this part of the state. How- ever, in 1868 a good many Scandinavians settled in the southeastern part of Renville county. As the Scandinavian people al- ways have been known for their deep, earnest religiousness, they had longed for
years for an established church of their own faith.
On the fifth of May. 1868, Rev. Thomas Johnson, of St. Peter, Nicollet county. Minn., conducted his first service at the house of Johannes Andersen, in township of Camp.
On this occasion he baptized nine chil- dren, namely, Christopher I. Iversen, Ber- gitta Julia J. Ellestad, Edward Markus S. Iversen, Hilda Johanna P. Lathi, Gustav Daniel H. Johnson. Nicolai Juliana M. Johnson, Johan J. Anderson, Sala Louise T. Tweet and Genetta Christine H. J. Ilal- vorson.
Among those present may be mentioned Iver and Marie Iversen, Jorgen and Martha Ellestad. Sevald and Adrianne Iversen. Peter and Johanna Lathi, Magnus and Caroline Johnson, Johannes and Marthe Anderson, Bella Johnson, Elizabeth Iver- sen. Mathias Johnson, Peter Isaksen, John and Sara Hallin. Rev. Johnson continued farther west to preach the gospel of Christ for Scandinavians living there.
On the twentieth of May, 1868, Rev. Johnson returned from the west and on that day a meeting was beld at the house of Johannes Anderson, Camp township, for the purpose of organizing an Evangelical Lutheran congregation. Consequently the Fort Ridgely Norwegian Evangelical Lu- theran congregation was organized, and on that day its constitution adopted. It is no doubt the first organized Norwegian Evan- gelical Lutheran congregation in Renville county.
The founders of the congregation were Jorgen Gilbertsen Ellestad, Hans Jörgen Halvorsen, Magnus Johnson, Mathias Bo- gema, Johannes Anderson and Tov Rudy.
The first confirmation in this congrega- tion took place on May 12. 1871. The names of those confirmed are: Johan Magnus L. Johannesen, Anton O. Lunder, Isak Astor S. Iversen, Johan O. Johnson. Martha O. Ellingsen, Martha Maria MI. Johnson, Maria O. Johnson, Maria Eliza- beth L. Johannesen, Gustava Hedvig H. T. Christiansen, Anna Gustava H. T. Christiansen, Anna S. Eriksen, Nicolai M1. Johnson, Johan M. Johnson.
The first bridal couple that was married in this congregation was Johan O. Lee and Lina Ivensdotter. They were married in the residence of the groom's brother. Mathias O. Lee, in November, 1869, by Rev. Nils Ylvizaker, of Red Wing, Minne- sota.
The first burial that is recorded in the congregation was that of Gunhild Thors- dotter. She died December 21. 1868. at the age of 41 years, and the last rites at her grave were performed in May, 1869. by Rev. Thomas Johnson.
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