Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 66

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432

USA > North Dakota > Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life > Part 66

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Our subject was married, in 1881, to Miss Helena Hiltness. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, as follows: Christopher O., de- ceased; Martin H., deceased, and Martha C. The two sons died of diphtheria in 1886, passing away within a few days of each other. Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are shown on another page. Mr. Johnson is a man of active public spirit and is the present chairman of the township board. He was appointed in 1897 to fill the vacancy caused on the board of county commissioners by the death of Mr. Brown and at the 1898 election was returned to that office by popular ballot and is now serving in that capacity in the second district. He is a stanch Re- publican in political sentiment and is a man in whom the people repose confidence.

HON. PETER HERBRANDSON. This gen- tleman is among the public-spirited and energetic citizens of Traill county who well deserve a place in the pages of Dakota's history. He is a gentleman of true worth and his labors are given with but one object, that of advancing and upbuilding the better interests of the country in which he lives. He is the present postmaster of Caledonia, where he has resided sinee 1879, and is a well known and efficient officer.

Our subject was born in Norway August 9, 1847, and was the third in a family of five children born to Herbran and Bergret ( Narvesen) Peterson. He emigrated to the United States in 1864 and set- tled in Clayton county, Iowa, where he was em- ployed at farming and lumbering until 1876, when he went to Ottertail county, Minnesota, and he soon afterward visited the Red river valley and took a pre-emption claim near Caledonia, in Traill county, and engaged in buying and shipping stock. He took up his residence in Caledonia in 1877.

Our subject was married, in 1873, to Miss Carrie Nelson. The following children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Herbrandson: Emma, Nina, Harry, Clara and James N. Mr. Herbrandson was elected county commissioner in 1878 and served continui- ously eighteen years, and then after three years was again recently re-elected. Thisfact alone suggests a popularity seldom enjoyed. He was sent to the fifth and seventh state legislature to represent the in- terests of his county, and in the fifth session four im- portant bills which have become laws were introduced

by him, one relating to paupers and their gaining res- idence, one relating to bridges and bridge building, one providing for the preservation of coroners' records, and during the seventh session a bill relat- ing to the care of the blind. He is a gentleman of the highest character, possessed of excellent educa- tion and a wide knowledge of men and the world, and no man in the county has taken more interest in general matters than he and his influence is widely felt.

OLE A. JOHNSON, an industrious and earnest farmer residing on section 26, in Hall township, is one of the early settlers of Sargent county and has labored for the advancement of that region. He has gained his possessions by his own efforts and is accorded a prominent place in the minds of those among whom he has resided for so many years. His farm bears every evidence of careful management and well-directed labor and he has gained a com- petence to tide him through his declining years.

Our subject was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, December 14, 1855. He was reared on his father's farm in that county and educated in the common schools, and made his home with his parents until he was seventeen, or in 1872, when he went to Mich- igan and was there about six months. He then returned home for a brief period and then went to Fort Howard, Wisconsin, and worked in the lumber region for thirteen months. He again returned home for a short time. He then went to Houston county, Minnesota, where he worked by the month at farm labor for some two or three years, after which he went to Fargo, North Dakota, where he was employed for some time in the sale stable of Hanson & Osgood, and then went to Sargent coun- ty, in 1882, and entered claim to a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres on section 26, in Hall town- ship, where he has since resided, with the exception of two years, when he was engaged in selling farm machinery in Milnor. He has erected a complete set of nice farm buildings and made every arrange- ment for the enjoyment of rural life. He has added to his possessions from time to time and is now the owner of three hundred and forty-seven acres of land.

Our subject was married, in Milnor, North Da- kota, June 27, 1885, to Miss Sophia M. Larson, who was born in Norway. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, three of whom are now living, as follows: Minnie E., Smith M. and Arthur T. One son, Melvin S., died October 8, 1892.

AUGUST HILKE. Among the prominent early settlers of Cass county the gentleman above named is entitled to special mention. He has remained through discouragements and privations and is now the fortunate possessor of one of the best farms of Cass county, and his residence on section 23, of

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Everest township, is evidence of his prosperity and thrift. He has gained an assured position as a citi- zen by lis earnest labors for the advancement of the locality in which he chose his home and much of the present solid prosperity of that region is due to his faithful and painstaking efforts.

Our subject was born near Berlin, Germany, November 18, 1837, and was a son of George and Dora (Engle) Huke, both of whom were natives of Germany. His parents came to America in 1852 and settled on a timber farm in Dodge county, Wis- consin. They removed to Winona county, Minne- sota, in 1861, where the mother's death occurred. The father died at the home of our subject in North Dakota, aged ninety-five years. Three sons were born to this worthy couple, our subject being the only survivor of the family.

Mr. Hilke was reared in Wisconsin and there began farming and acquired a good property in that state and in 1861 removed to Minnesota, where he purchased land and followed farming some years. He went to Casselton, North Dakota, in 1878, and then purchased a half-section of land, on which he now resides. It was without improvements, but he has transformed it into one of the finest pieces of property to be found in Cass county. He removed his family to the new home in 1880, and has held residence there continuously since.

Our subject was married, in Wisconsin, in 1859, to Minnie Krugmeier, a native of Germany. Mrs. Hilke died in 1884. Eleven children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Hilke, four sons and seven daughters. Three children died in infancy and the surviving children bear the following names: Amelia, Eliz- abeth, Minnie, Henry, Ida, Amanda, Annie and Al- bert. Mr. Hilke was next married to Cora Clark, a native of Minnesota, in 1885. Our subject as- sisted in the organization of his township and has held various offices therein almost continuously since. He is at present chairman of the board of super- visors, school treasurer and road overseer. He holds membership in the Ancient Order of United Workmen and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He keeps pace with the times and in political senti- ment is a stanch Democrat.

CHARLIE P. STEARNS, one of Barnes coun- ty's leading and representative farmers residing on section 7, township 141, range 58 west, was born in Rushville, Yates county, New York, October 8, 1844, and is a son of George W. and Nancy ( Steele ) Stearns, both natives of Maine. The mother died in New York at the age of thirty-two years and the father subsequently married Martha Twitchell, also a native of the Pine Tree state. The father was born in Bethel, Maine, in 1819, and his early life was spent upon a farm in that state. He then went to New York, where he engaged in school teaching for a time, but during the last sixteen years of his life conducted a store at Rushville, New York, where his death occurred.

Our subject obtained his education in the dis- trict school located near his native village, and dur- ing his boyhood and youth he aided his father in the work of the farm. While thus employed the Civil war broke out, and in September, 1861, he responded to his country's call for aid, joining the boys in blue of the Eighth New York Cavalry, which was brigaded with the Third Indiana and the Eighth Illinois Cavalry Regiments. He remained in the service three years, being most of the time on detail duty, and was honorably discharged in the fall of 1864, when he returned to his home in New York.

In April, 1865, Mr. Stearns led to the marriage altar Miss Dora A. Horton, a native of Yates coun- ty, New York, born in April, 1843, and to them were born six children, one now deceased. The others, three sons and two daughters, reside in Barnes coun- ty, North Dakota. After his marriage Mr. Stearns continued to engage in agricultural pursuits in Yates and Ontario counties, New York, until 1886, when he left the Empire state and came to Barnes county, North Dakota. For one year after locating here he had charge of the Nester farm as foreman, it being one of the largest farms in the county as well as one of the best improved. In 1890 he purchased the place on which he now resides. In his farming op- erations here he has met with most excellent suc- cess, and was at one time the owner of more than twelve hundred acres of land, but has since disposed of all but five hundred and sixty acres, having from time to time given large tracts to his children as they have left the parental roof and gone to homes of their own. He is a thorough and skillful agricult- urist and an upright, honorable business man who commands the respect and confidence of all with whom he comes in contact. He has always cast his ballot with the Republican party, but has never sought political honors, preferring to give his un- divided attention to his business interests.

FRANK LETSON, one of the most successful farmers of Elden township, makes his home on sec- tion 12, and is well known throughout that locality, as he was one of the early settlers of that region. He has followed farming for the past seventeen years and has acquired a wide knowledge of his call- ing, which enables him to economically conduct his farm and provide for his declining years.

Our subject was born in Erie county, New York, December 19, 1855, and was the eldest in a family of four children born to Albert H. and Matilda E. (Finch) Letson. His father was a native of the Empire state and was a farmer by occupation. He died in St. Croix county, Wisconsin, and the mother of our subject is also deceased.

Mr. Letson, when a child of two years, moved with his parents to St. Croix county, Wisconsin, where he attended the district schools and assisted his father with the farm work until he attained his majority, when he secured a position in Hudson, Wisconsin, and worked there three years, going from

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thence to River Falls, Wisconsin, where he engaged in clerking until 1882, when he went to Dickey coun- ty, North Dakota. He looked over the country in a general way and returned to Wisconsin until the the spring of 1883, when he moved to Elden town- ship, where he has since resided. He has a fine estate on which he has added valuable improvements, and ranks among the foremost men of his county. He has about thirty head of cattle, three hundred sheep and fifteen horses on his farm.

Our subject was married in Zumbrota, Minne- sota, in 1880, to Miss Ida Falson, a native of Min- nesota. Four children have blessed the home of Mr. and Mrs. Letson, as follows: Maud, Mamie, Mabel and Howard. Mr. Letson takes an active in- terest in affairs of a public nature and is an earnest worker for the upbuilding of his community. He has served in various offices of trust in his township and is a man who commands the esteem of his associates.

EDWARD MEILICKE, one of the most pro- gressive and influential citizens of Cass county, is pioneer settler of Everest township and has varied financial interests in that locality. He is the owner of eleven hundred and sixty acres of land, all of which is fully improved and under cultivation, and he has prospered in every enterprise in which he has embarked. He now resides near Wheatland and enjoys well-earned prosperity.

Our subject was born in Brandenburg, Ger- many, May 31, 1844, and was a son of Christian F. and Wilhelmina (Schmidt) Meilicke, both na- tives of Germany. His parents came to America in 1866 and settled in Minnesota, in Winona county, where the father died soon after their arrival. The family purchased land and the mother still lives in Minnesota, aged eighty-two years. Four sons were born, all of whom reside in Minnesota, with the exception of our subject.

Edward Meilicke was reared and educated in his native land and then learned the miller's trade, which he followed until he entered the German army. He served three years in the Prussian and Austrian war and participated in two important bat- tles. He emigrated to America in 1867 and went direct to Minnesota and there assisted on the home farm and later purchased land and engaged in farming there until 1882, when he went to Cass county, North Dakota, and settled in Everest town- ship, where he purchased a farm. He was also en- gaged in the mercantile business in Everest for some time. He has added to his acreage from time to time and now owns eleven hundred and sixty acres of Cass county land. He is president of the Mutual Insurance Company and is accounted a sub- stantial man.

Our subject was married, in 1868. to Wilhelmina Dittmer, a native of Germany. Five children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Meilicke, as follows: Martha, Arthur, Lydia, Edward, and Emma. Mr.

Meilicke assisted in the organization of the town- ship in which he resides and has served as chairman of the board of supervisors for fifteen years. He is a Republican in political sentiment and strong in his convictions and earnest in his efforts for the welfare of his community. He is a member and sec- retary of the United Moravian church and is highly esteemed as an exemplary citizen.

CORNELIUS SPRINGER. A prominent position as a citizen and a member of the farming community of Danton township, Richland county, is held by the gentleman above named. He is pro- prietor of a fine farm of four hundred and twenty acres on section 27, and has gained a competence which affords him the comforts of life in his declin- ing years.

Mr. Springer was born in Herkimer county, New York, near the town of Herkimer, October 9. 1830. He was but two and a half years of age when the family moved to Jefferson county, New York, where he grew to manhood, assisting with the farm work. At the age of twenty-three he went to the lower part of Upper Canada, where he spent three years engaged in farming, after which he re- turned to Jefferson county, New York, in 1855. In the spring of the following year he went to White- side county, Illinois, and settled within seven miles of Fulton, where he continued to reside until he went to North Dakota in the spring of 1890. He at once located on section 27, in Danton township, and has thoroghly improved his farm, which now covers four hundred and twenty acres. He has erected a complete set of good farm buildings and provided modern means for the care of his products and stock. He is also engaged to some extent in the car- penter's trade, and despite his advanced age is active in his labors.

Our subject was married in Jefferson county, New York, to Mary Ann Stratten, a native of Ver- mont, who was born October 23, 1831. Eight chil- dren were born to Mr. and Mrs. Springer, as fol- lcws: Hiram A .: Martin J .; Alonzo; Eleanor; Grant ; Herbert; J. D., who was killed in Breck- enridge, in July, 1894; and Ethel, who died in infancy. Mr. Springer takes an active part in church affairs and is a member of the Methodist Episcopal denomination.

OLAUS A. PRESTRUD, who, since his boy- hood days, has been a resident of Dakota, has de- veloped a fine farm in Preston township and makes his home on section 6. His residence, in course of construction, is a substantial and commodious structure, 24 × 32 feet, with fourteen-foot posts, and a stone cellar, 12 × 14 feet, and together with the other improvements on the place, evidences the thrift and prosperity enjoyed by our subject.

Mr. Prestrud was born in Norway, February 25, 1860. When eight years of age he came with

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the family, consisting of five children and the par- ents, Anders and Martha (Hariestad) Prestrud, to America, locating in Fillmore county, Minnesota. He went to Valley City, Dakota, in the fall of 1879 and worked at farm labor, and in 1881 entered claim to land on which he built a sod shanty, 8 x 10 feet, which was his bachelor home for two years. He had no implements or stock, and hired eight acres of his land broke, and his father broke an ad- ditional two acres for him, and by using his father's team in exchange for work he soon had a good start, and in 1883 purchased a yoke of cattle. He and his brother built a frame house in 1882 on the dividing line between their farms, and they lived together until 1894. Mr. Prestrud follows general farming. and intends developing the cattle industry. His farm is well adapted to that line of agriculture, and plenty of good water is pumped by a windmill to facilitate the work.

Our subject was married in 1894 to Miss Anna Nelson. Mr. and Mrs. Prestrud are the parents of three children, as follows : Mabel J., Palmer A. and Carl W. Mr. Prestrud is prominent in local affairs, and is at present township clerk, school clerk and justice of the peace. He has been a delegate to numerous county conventions, and takes an active part in the affairs of the Populist party. He is a member of the Lutheran church, and is a man upon whom the people look with favor, and well merits his success.

GEORGE H. WOODBURY. As an early set- tler of Stutsman county, North Dakota, who has not only winessed the growth of that region, but has aided materially in its transformation, the gentle- man above mentioned stands in a foremost place. He has been connected with the public affairs of his community in many ways, and his name is connected with the history of the county and state. He is proprietor of a fine farm near Jamestown, on which he conducts general farming with marked success, and is surrounded by the comforts of a country home.

Our subject was born in Cambridgeport, Mas- sachusetts, May 27, 1838. His father, A. J. Wood- bury, was of Welch descent, but the family has been in America many generations, and he was a carpen- ter by trade. The mother of our subject bore the maiden name of Elizabeth Straton, and was of American descent.

George H. Woodbury was the younger of two children, and was raised in Massachusetts, and at the age of eighteen years he and his parents settled on the present site of East Minneapolis, Minnesota, when in that early time, 1856, Minneapolis was but a small village. Here his father worked at his trade, and the family soon afterward went to Wel- ton, Minnesota, where our subject engaged in the hotel business in company with his father. He went to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in the spring of 1858, and took government land within one mile of

that place, which land was then unsurveyed. He enlisted in the Tenth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry in August, 1862, and spent most of that year in fighting the Indians, and witnessed the hanging of thirty-eight Indians at Mankato, Minnesota. He was one year in the service in North and South Da- kota, and in 1863 went to the south, and was through Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama, and af- terwards participated in the battle of Mobile, and later was severely wounded at the battle of Nash- ville, and in September, 1865, was mustered out of the service. He then returned to his home in Min- nesota, where he followed farming, and also held an interest in the hotel which his father conducted. He went to Jamestown, North Dakota, in 1879, and entered claim to land as a homestead and tree claim three miles from this city. He had two teams and a wagon, and drove to the land from his Minnesota home, and has since engaged in mixed farming. He now has a tract of three hundred and twenty acres, under cultivation, and he has been very successful. vocation.

Our subject was married, in 1866, to Miss Anna . Robins, who was born and raised in New York. Her father, Asa Robins, was a farmer by occupa- tion, and the family are Americans. Mr. Wood- bury has at all times taken an active interest in the welfare of his community, and is prominent in local affairs. He was elected county commissioner in 1881, and was elected to the same office five times since, serving in that capacity sixteen years. He is interested in educational matters, and for the past ten or twelve years has been school treasurer. Po- litically he is a Republican, and is a member of the following orders: Masonic fraternity, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Grand Army of the Re- public. He is a man of practical nature, and com- mands the highest esteem of his fellows.

LOUIS LINDSTRUM. In the south central part of Ransom county the foreign-born citizens have formed an extensive settlement and a leading place among them for thrift and honest endeavors is accorded the subject of this review. He is a representative citizen and has labored for the in- terests of his community, meanwhile laying a foun- dation for his own prosperity and good name. His farm is one of the pleasant estates of that region and is in section three of township 133, range 55.

Our subject was born in Sweden, July 18, 1867, and was the elder of two sons born to Nels and Han- nah (Jacobson ) Lindstrum. When sixteen years of age he came to the United States and worked at ditching in Illinois. He went to Dakota in 1883 and worked near Milbank, in what is now South Dakota, and in 1893 purchased land and began farming for himself. His land has produced abundantly and he has met with marked success in the pursuit of farming. He owns a comfortable home and is provided with the usual comforts of rural life.

LOUIS LINDSTRUM.

MRS. LOUIS LINDSTRUM.

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Our subject was married, November 19, 1893, to Miss Emma Sivertson, a native of Minnesota of Norwegian descent. Mr. and Mrs. Lindstrum are the parents of one son, upon whom they have bestowed the name of Neal. In political faith, Mr. Lindstrum is a Republican and stands firm for his convictions. He has attended as a delegate nu- merous county conventions and is an earnest worker for his party. He is public-spirited and progressive and is a young man whose future in Dakota is al- ready assured.

Portraits of Mr. and Mrs. Lindstrum are shown on another page.

GEORGE D. SLINGSBY, one of the well- known agriculturists of Riverside township, in Steele county, has a pleasant home on section 34, and is a man of honest principles and industrious habits. It is not until recent years that he has prospered in his chosen calling, owing to failure of crops in whole or part, but despite the early discouragements, he has worked persistently and is now the owner of one of the fine farms of that locality.

Our subject was born in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, October 23, 1859, and was the eldest son born to George and Elizabeth (Slingsby ) Slingsby, who are now living in California. He was reared on the home farm, and after attaining his majority left home and began work in the woods and on the river. He went to North Dakota in the spring of 1882, and soon afterward filed claim to land, but until 1885 spent a great portion of his time in Wis- consin, visiting his farm occasionally. He went to Dakota for permanent residence in 1885, and began his work on the farm with one old team, the extent of his personal property at the time. Crops were poor until 1891, in which year one hundred and sixty acres of land averaged thirty-three bushels per acre, and he has since enjoyed prosperity. He has a pleasant farm, and has added such improvements as are to be found on the model farm.

Our subject was married, in 1885, to Miss Mary E. Lowe. Mr. and Mrs. Slingsby have been the parents of three children, as follows: George, de- ceased ; Emma and Mabel G. Mr. Slingsby is a member of the Masonic fraternity' and Modern Woodmen of America. He is a citizen of true worth in Steele county, and is a man who keeps pace with the times in all public measures, and in political sentiment is a Republican.

HENRY KROGH. A great many of the inhab- itants of this state are of foreign birth. The old world has furnished not only needed workmen, skilled aud unskilled, but enterprising merchants, manufacturers, artists and art dealers upon our marts of trade. These foreign-born citizens have also naturally embraced the various professions, where they have proved themselves useful, talented and influential. Among these professional men

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Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 66

Author: Publication date: 1900 Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle Number of Pages: 1432

Author:
Publication date: 1900
Publisher: Chicago, G.A.Ogle
Number of Pages: 1432