USA > Mississippi > History of the upper Mississippi Valley, pt 1 > Part 44
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RUSSELL WILLTEMAN, M. D., is a native of Essex, New York, which was his home until fourteen years of nge, when he went to live with Dr. Bass, ut Muybridge, Vermont. He remained as a stu- dent with the Doctor until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to Philadelphia, ntlanded lectures and graduated from Union Col- lego in 1844. Hle then went to Cincinnati, and practiced his profession until 1848, when he was
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HISTORY OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
compelled to retire on account of ill health. In 1857, he came to Minnesota, pre-empted one hun- dred and sixty acres of land und purchased one hundred and sixty, in Greenleaf township, Mecker county. His farm wus located on Cedar Lake, and at the time of the Indian ontbreak in 1862, he escaped with his family to an island in the lake, where he remained for six weeks, going to the main land for provisions during the night- time. As soon as he deemed the journey safe, he went to the fort at Hutchinson and remained until the trouble subsided, when he went to Glen- coe and lived until the spring of 1863, thenee to Excelsior, Hennepin county, and in the spring of 1864, to Anoka, where he still resides, in the active practice of his profession. Dr. Whiteman was married on the 1st of March, 1849, to Miss Mary Cheever, of Cincinnati, Ohio, who died on the 13th of June, 1865, leaving six children; George R., Mary F., Anna P., William C., Minnie L., and Charles C. He was married again on the 30th of January, 1867, to Sarah A. Mayall, who also de- parted this life, on the 14th of September, 1879, leaving three children; Harry, Jessie, and Warren.
JOSEPH F. WHEELER is a native of Royalston, Worcester county, Massachusetts, and was born on the 14th of September, 1815. He is one of the pioneers of Anoka county, coming to Grow town- ship in 1854, where he located a farm on seetion thirty-two, and followed the plough for seven years. He came to Anoka in 1861, and has re- sided here ever since, engaged in the carpenter business. Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage with Miss Lanrn A. Richards, on the 10th of Jan- mary, 1819.
James M. Woods, photograper, is u nativo of Georgetown, Brown county, Ohio, and was born on the 25th of May, 1838. His mulive county was his home until 1867, when he came to Anoka and purchased the business of an artist named Cook, who was the first photographer in Anoka, and has continued the profession ever since. Mr. Woods was married on the 28th of November, 1865, to Miss Elizabeth Northrop. Their childeen are, Laura and John.
W. D. WASHBURN & Co,, the owners of the ex- tensive lumber and flonring mills at Anoka, con- sists of W. D. Washburn, the present member of Congress from this district, and W. D. Hall. Mr. Washburn is a nativeof Livermore, Androscoggin county, Maine, and was born on the 14th of Jann- ary, 1831. He came to Minneapolis, Minnesota,
in 1857, and is still a resident of that city, deeply interested in public and private enterprises. He is the president of the Minneapolis & St. Louis Railroad Company, and has been largely interested in other railroad enterprises; is also a slockholder in a number of other manufacturing establish- ments outside of Anoka, among which we may mention, the Minneapolis Harvester Works and the Palisade Flouring Mills, Minneapolis. G. W. Stickney was at one time his partner in the Anoka business, but was succeeded by W. D. Hall, in 1877. Mr. Hall is a native of Norridgewock, Maine, but has been a resident of Minnesota most of the time since 1856.
THOMAS WALL was born in Norway, on the 11th of October, 1845. He eame to America in 1870, loeating at Bangor, Maine, where he was engaged at carpenter work until the spring of 1878, when he came to Minneapolis, and the same fall, to Ano- ka, where he lias since lived. Mr. Wall is employ- ed as a millwright in the mills of W. D. Washburn & Co. He was married on the 6th of June, 1873, to Miss Albertina Peterson, of Sweden. They have one child, named Emma.
JAMES W. WELLS is a native of Shelbyville, Kentneky, and was born on the 15th of August, 1847. When he was twelve years old, the family removed to St. Jo., Missouri, where the subject of this sketch resided until 1871, when he came to St. Paul, Minnesota, und thence, after a three years residence, to Anoka, where he has since lived. Mr. Wells was married on the 10th of May, 1870, to Miss Norn Sanders. Their children ure, Fred- die, Daisy, und Mund.
ANOKA TOWNSHIP.
CHAPTER LI.
DESCRIPTIVE - AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS - BIO- GRAPHICAL.
This township lies in the southern portion of the county, the Mississippi river forming its sont hi- western boundary for upwards of ten miles. Rum river also passes through the northwest corner of the town, in u sontherly direction, und Coon creek waters the castern porlion. The surface is gener- alty a beautiful rolting prairio, except along the rivers, where it is more broken. The soil is a tight. sandy loum and admirably adapted to agricultural
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ANOKA TOWNSHIP.
purposes. The area is about twenty-five square miles or 15,680 aeres, about 1,000 of which are under enltivation. In 1880, the agricultural re- port showed the following produet, which is very large, considering the enlfivated acreage: wheat, 7.247 bushels; oats, 2,803 bushels; corn, 9,760 bushels; barley, 20 bushels; ryc, 946 bushels; potatoes, 2,590 bushels; beans, 67 bushels; sugar cane, 385 gallons; cultivated hay, 10 tons; wild hay, 987 tons; apples, 151 bushels; wool, 503 pounds; butter, 15,400 pounds; and cheese, 1,200 pounds.
'The population in 1880, was 261, chiefly Amer- ican.
'The history of the carly settlement and subse- quent development, is identical with that already presented in the chapter on the city of Anoka, which was a part of the township until within a few years.
Blaine was also included within its boundaries prior to its organization.
There are two school districts outside of the city limits, in which good schools are kept a great por- tion of the year.
The city of Anoka is so conveniently near to all the people, that no church is needed in the town- ship.
BIOGRAPHICAL.
JARED BENSON, one of the pioneers and repre- sentative men of Anoka county, is a son of Jared and Sally Taft Benson, and was born in that part of Mendon, Worcester county, Massachusetts, now known as Blackstone, on the 8th of November, 1821. The farm on which he was born, and which was purchased of the Indians by his great-great- grandfather, is still in the hands of the Benson family. He descends from a loyal stock, his pater- nal great-grandfather and his maternal grand- father inking part in the revolutionary war, and his father participating in the second war with Great Britain. The subject of this sketch was educated in the common schools of his native town, and a single term at the Manual Labor Academy in Worcester. Farming was his occupation until 1844, when he joined the corps of engineers who were locating the Providence and Worcester Rail- road; was afterwards agent for the company, sta- tioned at Blackstone, and subsequenty was super- intendent of transportation for the Worcester & Nashua Railroad Company, residing in Worcester. Hle first came to Minnesota in October, 1855, and bonght n farm on the Mississippi river, in what is now the town of Ramsey. He resided there four
years, being twice elected chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and once a member of the Board of County Commissioners, of which he was also chairman. At the first State election, in 1857, he was a candidate for Senator, in the district com- prising the counties of Sherburne, Mille Lacs, Anoka, and Manomin, and was elect. d, but counted ont. In 1860, he removed to his present residence, one and a half miles from the city of Anoka, where he is engaged in stock and dairy farming. At the session of the legislature of 1859-60 he was elected Chief Clerk of the House; in 1861-62, and in the extra session of 1862, and in 1864, was a member and Speaker of the House, in all, four sessions, longer than any other man has held the position of Speaker in the state of Minnesota. He was again a member of the House in 1878. In 1864, he was elected as one of the directors of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, a position he held for six years, spending most of the time in St. Paul and Washington, in the interest of the company. In 1870-72, he was collector of Internal Revenue, with headquarters in St. Paul. Although a born Dem- ocrat, Mr. Benson has always been a Republican since that party had an existence, enlisting in the army that had on its banners, "Free soil, Free speech and Free men," in 1848. In religions mat- ters, he is denominated a liberal, and believes in practical Christianity. Mr. Benson was united in marriage with Miss Martha Taft, of Mendon, Mas- sachusetts, on the 5th of February, 1843. Of seven children born to them, but five are living.
CHARLES BARNEY was born in Atkinson, Pisca- taquis county, Maine, in the year 1832. He was reared to agricultural pursuits in his native state, and came to St. Anthony, Minnesota, 1856. After spending four years in the mills at the latter place, he went to Brooklyn, Hennepin county, and after farming one year, returned to Maine, but a year later came back to Hennepin county, and remained in Brooklyn and Minneapolis until 1870. He then came to Anokn township and settled on his present farm in section seventeen. Mr. Barney was married in 1860, to Miss Mary Smith, of his native town. Their children are, Warren H., Lonis S., Charles M., and Frank II.
JOHN R. BARRETT is a native of Maine, and was born on the 23d of July, 1826. He received his early education in his native town, and after- wards taught school for several terms. In 1856, he came to Minnesota and located in Round Lake, now Grow township, where he lived three years;
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HISTORY OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
then sold his tarm and bought the property on which he now lives, consisting of one hundred and eighty-four aeres, and located on section four. Mr. Barret has hold the offices of Assessor and County Commistioner, and is now Justice of the Peace. He was married in 1849, to Miss Esther E. Wheeler, of Waterville, Maine. Their children are, Olive E., Lettie A., Joseph H., and Jolm H.
CALVIN W. BRYANT was born in Newark, Wayne county, New Jersey, on the 14th of November, 1845. He was reared to farming pursuits and has followed the plough ever since. He came to Anoka township in 1873, and purchased the farm on which he now lives; it is located on section seven and contains ninety acres of valuable land. Mr. Bryant was married on the 5th of June, 1872, to Miss Kate Stevens, of his native town; three children are the result of this union; Mary E., Florence, and Sarah.
JOHN COLEMAN is n native of Ireland,, and was bom on the 20th of November, 1852. He came with his parents to America, in 1864, and after re- siding one year in Canada, came to New York State, and thenee, in 1876, to Minnesota, the fam- ily settling in Fridley township. The subject of our sketch owns a fine farm of one hundred and twenty-five acres, in section thirty-five, Anoka township. He was married to Miss Julia A. Tier- ney. They have one child named Thomas E.
ALBERT J. CASWELL dates his birth in Canada, on the 15th of January, 1835. When he was sixteen years old, the family removed to Vermont, which was the home of our subjeet until 1856, when he came to Minnesota and took a claim at Mannannah, Mecker county, but after a three year's residence there, went to California and re- mained until 1862. In the fall of that year he returned to Mimmannah, and spent the winter, and the following spring came to Anoka township and bonght the farm on which he now lives; it is lo- cat. d on section twenty-three, and contains two hundred and eighty acres of good farming land. Mr. Caswell was married in March, 1865, to Miss Martha Hayden, of Elk River. Their children are, Arthur A., Irving A., und Herbert.
HENRY L. CHEEVER, one of Minnesota's carly settlers, was born at Wrentham, Norfolk county, Massachusetts, on the 14th of August, 1822. Ile was reared to agricultural pursuits in his native State, and in 1853, came to Minnesota and settled on a farm in Champlin, Hennepin county, where he resided five years. He then removed to Minne-
apolis, but after a stay of four years, returned to Champlin, and lived until coming to Anoka town- ship, in 1869. Mr. Cheever's farm of one hundred and twenty aeres is located on section ten. He was married on the 4th of March, 1849, to Miss Ellen J. Cheetham. Their children are named, Laura R. and Ida A. E.
GEORGE R. CAMPBELL is a native of New York State, but moved with the family when quite young, to Washington county, Minnesota, where he was reared on a farm. He went to California about 1859, and remained there several years. In 1870, he settled in Anoka township; was en- ployed as a traveling salesman for a couple of ycars, but since then has devoted his time to the cultivation of his farm, which consists of ninety- two acres, and is located on section twenty-six. Mr. Campbell was united in marriage with Miss Alta Hank, daughter of N. W. Hank, of Grow township, on the 10th of June, 1874. Their chil- dren are, George W., Robert B., and Lewis G.
JOHN DUNN was born in Ireland, on the 2d of June, 1830. In 1852, he came to America, and was engaged in farming in New York State until 1863, when he came to Anoka county and has resided here ever since. He. immediately went to work for the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company, and still continues in their employ, having had charge of a section for a number of years. He owns a farm of six Imudred acres, located in the southern part of Anoka township. Mr. Dann was married to Miss Ann Casey. Their children are, William, Thomas, Patrick, Ann, John, and Martin.
JOHN FARKIN is a native of Concord, New York, and was born on the 22d of November, 1840. His carly years were spent in agricultural pursuits, und in 1860, he came west and located at Sunrise City, Chisago county, Minnesota. Here he was engaged in farming and linnbering until the breaking out of the war, when he enlisted in the Minnesota Mounted Rangers, in November, 1862, and served one year; he then served two years in the Second Minnesota Cavalry, and three years more were spent in defense of the frontier against the Indians. He then came to Anoka comty and bought the farm on which he has since lived; it is located on section four, and contains fifty-one acres. Mr. Farrin was married on the 1th of July, 1871, to Mrs. Eurania Stivers, of Ohio. They have four children; Alfson, Arthur, Frank, nd Mabel.
JAMES GREEN was born in England, in Decem-
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255
BIOGRAPHICAL.
ber, 1843. He came to America in 1875, and set- tled at Anoka, where he was engaged in the mills and farming until 1878, when he purchased and removed to his present farm, which is located on section ten, and contains eighty acres. Mr. Green was married on the 6th of November, 1879, to Mrs. Elizabeth Rogers. They have one child, named Mary.
JOHN HINES is a native of Laconia, New Hamp- shire, and was born in the year 1841. He grew to manhood in his native State, and during the war of the rebellion, served eleven months in the Fifteenth New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He eame to Minnesota in 1871, and located on his present farm in Anoka township; it is situated on section sixteen and contains eighty aeres, fifty of which are well improved. Mr. Hines' wife was Miss Emma Mitchell, to whom he was married on the 22d of September, 1862. They have one son, named George S.
Jony Ives was born in Aurelius, New York, on the 31st of July, 1838. When he was quite young, the family removed to Chantauqua county, where the subject of our sketch remained during his mi- nority, ulter which he returned to his native town and learned the trade of tinsmith, following that occupation there until 1866. He then came to Minnesota and was engaged in the hardware bus- iness in Anoka until the destruction of his store by fire in 1869. Sinee that time he has been engag- ed in the improvement of his farm, which consists of one hundred and twenty acres and is located on section eight. Mr. Ives was married to Miss Polly Maine, on the 13th of September, 1859. Of ten children born to them, but five are living; Le- roy S., Stella, Samnel, Jessie, and Etta.
James 11. MeCamnasy is a son of James MeCan- by, of Crow township, at sketch of whom, appears elsewhere in this work. The subject of this sketch was born on the 3d of May, 1857, and grew to manhood in Anokn county. He has n fine larm of one hundred and sixty aeres on sections three and four in Anoka township, ninety acres of which, is under the plongh, and the whole farm is being rapidly improved by its owner.
CALVIN H. PARMAN was born in Kennebec eonn- ty, Maine, in the year 1818. When he was ten years old, the family removed to Penobscot coun- ty, where he remained until coming to Minnesota in 1857. Mr. Parlin bought eighty acres of land in Brooklyn township, Hennepin county, which was his hom > until he came to Anoka county in
1871. He resides on seetion eleven, where he owns forty acres of land, and also has one hundred and sixty in section fourteen, besides forty acres in Hennepin county. Mr. Parlin was united in marriage with Miss Dorcas S. Clark, also a native of Maine, on the 5th of October, 1845.
ANDREW P. REIDHEAD, a resident of Minnesota for thirty years, was born at Blue Hill, Hancock county, Maine, on the 10th of June, 1841. Iu 1851, the family came to St. Anthony, Minnesota, and two years later, removed to Crystal Lake township, Hennepin county, his father building the first frame house in that town. Andrew re- mained with his parents during his minority, and in 1874, bought a farm in Brooklyn township, on which he lived three years, removing thence to Champlin, and three years later, to Anoka where he was engaged in the hotel business six months, after which he came to his present farm. This farm contains one hundred and twenty aeres and is located on section twenty-eight. Mr. Reidhead was married in November, 1864, to Miss Lydia Merrill, of New Hampshire. Their children are, Alma L., and Mary M.
GEORGE SMITH is a native of Yorkshire, Eng- land, and was born on the 20th of December, 1842. He came to America in 1872, and located in Anoka township, where he owues a farm of one hundred and forty-eight acres situated in seetion twenty-one. Mr. Smith has been twice married; his first wife was Miss Sarah A. Farrar, also a native of Yorkshire, to whom he was married iu June, 1863. She died on the 6th of April, 1878, leaving three children, Joseph, James, and Mary. His present wife was Miss Ada Smith, of Anoka, and they have two children. Eva and Herbert.
JACOB Senwas was born in Switzerland, on the 24th of March, 1837. He came to America in 1857, and after two years spent in the employ of a briekmaker at Manknto, Minnesota, went to Lake Superior, and thenee to Minneapolis, where he entered as Quartermaster Sergeant in Company B, of the Twelfth United States Infantry, serving five and a half years. Returning from the army in 1867, he opened a general store in Osseo, Hen- nepin county, but after two years went to Otter Tail county, where he was engaged in farming and insurance until coming to his present resi- dence in Anoka township, in 1876. Mr. Schwab's lamm is located in section fourteen and contains one hundred and sixty aeres. He was married on the 28th of December, 1867, to Miss Angeline
1
256
HISTORY OF THE UPPER MISSISSIPPI VALLEY.
Myers, of Brooklyn, Hennepin county. Their children are, John J., Henry H., Withiam B., Clara A., Orin C., and Elizabeth N.
JAMES P. TAYLOR is a native of Sidney, Ken- nebee county, Maine, and was born on the 5th of January, 1841. Ile remained in his native State until 1859, when he went to Boston, Massa- chusetts, and was engaged as a house carpenter until 1867, thence to Chicago, as n contractor and builder until 1879, thenee to Iowa, and after re- maining one year, came to Anoka and has since been engaged in farming. Mr. Taylor was mar- ried on the 18th of March, 1874, to Miss Lucy F. Elwell, of Quiney, Massachusetts. Their children are, Charles A. and Luey.
CHARLES M. UNDERWOOD was born in Porter county, Indiana, on the 3d of May, 1855. When he was eleven years old, the family removed to Taylor's Falls, where the subject of our sketch ro- mained until coming to Anoka county in 1871.
Mr. Underwood was married on the 22d of November, 1879, to Miss Littie A. Barrett, dangh- ter of John R. Barrett, of Anoka township. They have one one chitd, named Jessie I.
FRANK H. WORCESTER dates his birth in Ken- nebee county, Maine, on the 29th of June, 1854. When he was quite young, the family removed to Minnesota, where Frank has since resided. HIe occupies a small, but productive farm in section sixteen, Anoka township. Mr. Worcester was mar- ried on the 4th of July, 1875, to Miss Hattie Fletcher. Four children are the result of this union.
BETHEL.
CHAPTER MAIL.
LOCATION -SURFACE- EARLY SETTLEMENT -- ORGANI- ZATION-SCHOOLS -- AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS -- BIOGRAPHICAL.
Bethel is situated in the northeast portion of the county, and contains forty-eight square miles or about 30,720 acres, 1,261 of which is under cul- tivation.
The soil is a light sandy loam, and from its na- ture, containing mineral in small particles, is nec- essarity a warm, quick soil, producing good crops in seasons of ordinary moisture. The surface is generally covered with a light growth of timber, except where it has been removed by the settlers
for fuel or purposes of cultivation. There are a number of good hay meadows, particularly on the banks of Cedar creek, which runs in a sontherly direction through the western portion of the town. A mimuber of beautiful small lakes dot the surface, the largest of which is Coon Lake, lying in the southeast corner of the town. Deer Lake, in the center, and Minard and Fish Lakes, in the north, are the most important.
A portion of the northern part of this town is prairie, which attracted the first settlers, who were Quakers. Rice Price and O. Evans discovered this prairie in the fall of 1855, and the following spring these two men came with their families and set- tled on section twenty-eight. Roland Minard also settled ou section twenty-nine about the same time. Mr. Price came from Indiana, and Mr. Evans, from Iowa. During the summer, quite a number set- tled in the vicinity, mostly Quakers, and the place soon came to be known as the " Quaker settle- ment," but the representatives of that denomina- tion have all moved away. Prominent among the carly settlers were J. H. Canny, James Cooper, E. Day, E. E. Pratt, now County Commissioner, James and John Dyer, and others. In 1867, a settlement was made in the eastern portion of the town, which extended along the enst line, and is known as East Bethel.
Bethel Post-office is located at what is known as Bethel Corners; II. Newbert is Postmaster, und also keeps a general store at this place.
The town was organized with the county in 1858, and inchided at that time nearly all the present town of Linwood, but was redneed to its preset limits on the organization of the latter town in 1871. The first records were incomplete, but we give the first official roster, as full as we have Inou able to obtain it: Supervisors, O. Evans, Chairman, W. Dickens and R. Price; Clerk, J. Mayhew; Treasurer, John Wyatt; and Assessor, F. Wyatt. Some of these moved away before the expiration of their terms.
"There are five school districts in the town, all of which have good school houses, and are provided with teachers a considerable portion of each year.
District number three was organized in 1859, and a log school-house built on section twenty- eight the same year, but school was held at dif- ferent places until the erection of the present neat frame building on section thirty-two.
District number twenty-two was organized in 1870. The present frame school house was built
BETHEL TOWNSHIP.
257
on section eleven in 1872, but removed to its pros- ent site, on section ten, in 1875.
Distriet number twenty-five was organized in 1871, and a neat frame building erected on section twenty-nine, in 1871, and is still in service.
District number Thirty-seven was organized in 1875. The present school house was built in 1873, the district at that time being a part of number twenty-two. It is located on seetion two.
District number farty was organized in 1880, and the school house was creeted on seetion eight the same year.
Bethel contains a population of 423, according to the census of 1880, and the agrienltnral report for the same year shows the following aggregate product : wheat, 7,643 bushels; aats, 3,912 bushels; carn, 10,680 bushels; barley, 174 Imshels; rye, 1,661 bushels; buckwheat, 90 bushels; potatoes, 3,101 bushels; beans, 25 bushels; sugar cane, 1,205 gallons; enltivated hay, 4 tons; wild hay, 201 tons; apples, 54 bushels; wool, 110 ponnds; and butter, 18.000 pounds.
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