Compendium history and biography of North Dakota; a history of early settlement, political history, and biography; reminiscences of pioneer life, Part 93

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

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OLE P. SATROM, one of Traill county's most prosperous and painstaking farmers, conducts a well cultivated tract of eight hundred acres in Galesburg township. His farm is not as extensive as other estates of the county, but the buildings and land evi- dence careful management and strict attention to the details. The buildings are substantial, and he has provided house room for all machinery, stock and grain, and thrift is everywhere apparent. In connection with this sketch a portrait of Mr. Satrom will be found.

Our subject was born in Gudbrandsdalen, Ham- mar Stift, Norway, November 12, 1859, and was the third in a family of twelve children, born to Paul P. and Engeborg ( Korshus) Satrom, both of whom now reside with our subject. In his native land Mr. Satrom worked at farm labor and at railroading, and after attaining his majority came to America in company with two of his brothers to join two other brothers who had preceded them. In the spring of 1881 he arrived at Fargo, North Dakota, with twenty-five dollars, and in June homesteaded the farm his buildings now occupy. He erected a small 8x12-foot shanty and then went to Cass county to find work, and during two winters worked for his board at Hunter, and attended school in Cass county,

OLE P. SATROM.

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gaining a good understanding of English. He pur- chased a yoke of oxen in the fall of 1882 and the fol- lowing spring a third ox and began breaking land on his own farm and also for others. His land has raised excellent crops and he has met with success in his calling. His house is commodious and his main barn is a structure 55x88 feet with storage room for one hundred tons of hay. This building he erected in 1892. Surface water is abundant, and a five acre grove of thrifty trees adds value and coziness to his home,

Mr. Satrom's first wife, who bore the maiden name of Annie Branthaugen, died March 29, 1892. Four children were born to that union, as follows: Paul O., who died March 16, 1894; Gena Olea, who died August 2, 1883; Gine Olie, who died July 22, 1890, and John O. Mr. Satrom was married, Jan- uary 29, 1896, to Christine Kraabel. Mr. Satrom is one of the leading men of his locality and is chair- man of the township board. He is a member of the Synod church and is a man of enlightened views, and enjoys the confidence of the people among whom he lives. He has served on the Republican county central committee.

CHRISTIAN NESS, residing on section 23, in Dwight township, is one of the prosperous and en- terprising men of Richland county. He has been engaged as a tradesman and an agriculturist during many years of his life, and has been remarkably suc- cessful since he has devoted his attention to tilling the soil. He is proprietor of a well-improved farm, and the painstaking care exercised in the work about the place makes it one of the neat and pleasant farms of the community.

Our subject . was born in Norway, October 22, 1857, and was the third in a family of ten children, five sons and five daughters, born to John and Maren A. (Volan) Ness, who are natives of Norway, and reside in their native land, where the father is en- gaged chiefly in farming.

Christian Ness came to America and landed in New York in the early part of May, 1880, and at once went to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, where he was employed by the Eau Claire Lumber Company for two and a half years as blacksmith. He then went to Dwight township, Richland county, North Da- kota, and was employed by the Great Northern Rail- road as bridge builder and at section work for about four months, after which he was employed for a few months by the Dwight Farm & Land Company as blacksmith, and in the spring of 1883 he pur- chased a blacksmith shop in Dwight, where he con- ducted the business until the spring of 1886, when he bought one hundred and sixty acres of land on section 23, in Dwight township. Since the pur- chase of his land he has engaged in farming con- tinuously, and has a well-improved estate.

Our subject was married in Dwight, April 7, 1883, to Miss Nethie Heitman, who was born in Norway, February 15, 1858. Mrs. Ness was a

daughter of Hans and Pernelle (Johnson) Heitman. Both were natives of Norway, and her father was a teacher by profession. Mrs. Ness was the fourth in a family of seven children, three sons and four daughters, and she came to America in the fall of ISSI. Mr. and Mrs. Ness are the parents of ten children, as follows: Mary P., Hilda E., John M., Signe C., Olga L., Thura E., Edith C., Ragna M., Harold H. and Sigurd W. The family are mem- bers of the Norwegian Lutheran church. Mr. Ness is an active worker for the welfare of his commu- nity, and has been called upon to fill numerous local offices, including president of the school board, chairman of the board of supervisors, township as- sessor, constable and overseer of roads. In each of the instances he has proven himself worthy the trust reposed in him, and he is willingly accorded a prominent position among the members of his com- munity. He is public-spirited, enterprising, and withal a man of whom any country may well be proud.

EDWARD ALBRECHT. In whatever voca- tion engaged the successful man is the persistent man. One who has acquired a comfortable com- petence and an enviable reputation by the exer- cise of this characteristic, is the gentleman above named. He is now the proprietor of one of the well improved and carefully cultivated tracts of land in Durham township, and is one of the sub- stantial young men of Stutsman county.

Our subject was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1864, and was a son of August Albrecht. His father was a native of Germany and came to Amer- ica at the age of twelve years. In a family of eight children our subject was the second in order of birth, and was raised in his native city and attended the German schools. He conducted his father's hay pressing business in Chicago during his stay in Dakota from 1883 to 1885, when the family re- moved to the Dakota home. Our subject entered claim as a homestead to the southwest quarter of section 26, township 143, range 63, during that year, and borrowed machinery, teams, etc., to begin the cultivation of his tract. He worked for his father for about five years and also worked some for others, and in 1889 erected a house, barn and gran- ary on his farm. He lost about fifty tons of hay by prairie fire in 1895. He now has a farm of three hundred and twenty acres, equipped with residence, barn, machine shed, granary, windmill, and all necessary machinery, and engages in grain and cattleraising. He now has about thirty head of cattle, and keeps six farm horses. When lie located in Dakota his nearest neighbor was three and a half miles distant, and all supplies were hauled from Jamestown, twenty-two miles.

Our subject was married, in the spring of 1890, to Miss Maggie Fried, a native of Wisconsin, who was raised in that state. Mrs. Albrecht's father is an old settler of Dakota and has resided there

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since 1880. Five children, four of whom are now living, have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Albrecht, as follows: Liddie, Alice, Elmer and Janette. The family are members of the Lutheran church. Mr. Albrecht is a Democrat in political sentiment and is strong in his convictions for right.

HARRY M. WASHBURN, one of the rising young men of Cass county, is engaged in the pur- suit of agriculture in Rush River township, and has met with unbounded success in his calling. He enjoys a wide acquaintance who hold him in the highest esteem as a young man of ability, active publie spirit and unfailing energy.

Our subject was born near Denver, Colorado, July 5. 1871, and was a son of Stellman B. and Emma A. (Morse) Washburn, natives of Maine. His father was a hardware merchant of Lake City, Minnesota, for many years, and later went to Ari- zona, where he engaged in prospecting for minerals and died there in 1873. The mother afterward married S. H. Knight, and she died in 1880.

After the death of his father our subject and the mother returned to Minnesota, and in 1879 went to Cass county, North Dakota, and our sub- ject received his education in Minnesota and North Dakota. He took up his residence permanently in the latter state in 1882 and has followed farming in Cass county continuously since that date.

Our subject was married, in November, 1896, to Martha Grinke, a native of Germany, who came to America with her parents in 1886. Two children have been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Washburn, upon whom they have bestowed the names of Mildred and Margaret. Mr. Washburn has filled the office of assessor and also road over- seer, and has also served as a member of the school board. He holds membership in the Knights of Pythias and is popular with the people among whom he resides. He is yet in the prime of vigor- ous manhood and his labors for the advancement and development of his locality have placed him in an assured position as a citizen and farmer.

JOHN N. GILGENBACH. The farm owned by this gentleman on section 20, in Dwight town- ship, is one of the noticeable estates of Richland county. He has spared no pains to make a model country home, and the present appearance of the place bears evidence of the care bestowed upon every detail. He has made a success of his call- ing, and is among the substantial men of his lo- cality.

Our subject was born in Germany, June 3, 1852, and his mother having died in his native land he came to America with his father, when he was aged about nine years. They settled in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, where our subject was reared to manhood, and where he continued to live until 1881, when he went to North Dakota.

He purchased eighty acres of land on section 20, in Dwight township, and also filed a tree claim to eighty acres on the same section. He erected good buildings, and has improved the land and buildings continuously since, and now has a model farm.

Mr. Gilgenbach was married in Fond du Lac county, Wisconsin, April 11, 1882, to Miss Helen Mener. Mrs. Gilgenbach was born in Fond du Lae county, Wisconsin, May 20, 1860. Mr. and Mrs. Gilgenbach have been the parents of six chil- dren, five of whom are living, and are named in order of birth, as follows: John M., Frank A., Elenora, Joseph W. and John N. One son, Philip, died when about two years of age. The family are members of St. John's church, and are highly esteemed by a large circle of acquaintances. Our subject was not one of the first settlers of Richland county, but he entered that locality when the coun- try had not yet become improved to great extent, and he has not only witnessed the growth of the region, but has been an important factor in its de- velopment and advancement, and is entitled to a prominent place omong the list of workers in be- half of his country.

JOHN F. CALLAHAN, one of the rising at- torneys of North Dakota, resides in Casselton, Cass county, and is the postmaster of that city. He is a gentleman of excellent education and intelligence, and is entitled to prominent mention among the leaders of his profession.

Our subject was born in Ontario, Canada, July 21, 1861, and was a son of Timothy and Sarah ( Maher) Callahan, both of whom were natives of Ireland. His parents emigrated to Canada about 1832 and settled in Ontario, where they were mar- ried. The father was a civil engineer and was em- ployed by the English government surveying gov- ernment lands in western and upper Canada. He removed to Iowa in 1868 and in 1884 removed to North Dakota, and from there went to Idaho .in 1890, where he now resides. Four sons and three daughters, of whom our subject and one brother are now in Dakota, constituted the family of chil- dren.

Mr. Callahan was reared and educated in Iowa in the district schools of Webster county, and the city schools of Sioux City, the State Normal, an.1 the Agricultural College at Ames, and the South Dakota State Normal at Madison, South Dakota. He went to Cass county, North Dakota, in 1885, and taught school there some years, and in 1890 was appointed county superintendent, and twice elected to that office, serving as such five years. He then began the study of law with Bartlett & Lovell, and was admitted to the bar in April, 1898. He was appointed postmaster of Casselton in July, 1897, and is now serving in that capacity. He has built up a good practice and is rapidly gaining an assured position in his locality.

Our subject was married, in March, 1892, to

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Anna McIntire, a daughter of John McIntyre, of Cass county. One child has been born to Mr. and Mrs. Callahan, who bears the name of Lloyd F. Mr. Callahan is a member of the Knights of Pythias and the Masonic orders, the Blue Lodge, Chapter,' Knights Templar and Shrine. Politic- ically he is a Republican, and has done very effi- cient work for the principles of his party. In 1896 and 1898 he campaigned in North Dakota for his party, and in 1896 was president of the Cass County Young Men's Republican League. He is a forcible speaker and stands firm for his faith.

MAYVILLE NORWEGIAN LUTHERAN CONGREGATION, of Hanges Synod, was organ- ized in 1884 and consisted of eight families. Rev. G. C. Gjerstad was the first pastor and assumed charge in 1885. He was succeeded in 1892 by Rev. L. T. Kringle, and while he was pastor the congregation increased to eleven families. Rev. H. Hjertaas began as pastor in 1894, and under his guidance the church has prospered and now includes thirty families and several outlying churches have been increased and strengthened. These include Bethania, nine miles north of May- ville, with about thirty families and owning a church building valued at three thousand five hun- dred dollars, heated with furnace; Trefoldighed, seven miles southwest, and having about thirty- five families and a church valued at three thousand dollars; Stordal congregation, sixteen miles south, with about twenty-seven families, and a build- ing heated with furnace heat, and valued at twenty- six hundred dollars. All of the property of these congregations is free from debt, and the affairs of the churches are in excellent shape financially, while the membership steadily increases.

REV. H. HJERTAAS, the present pastor of the Mayville Norwegian Lutheran congregation and the outlying churches, was born in Bergens Stift, Norway, September 24, 1857, and was the third of a family of nine children born to Martinus and In- geborg (Hanson) Hjertaas, both of whom are de- ceased.

When fifteen years of age our subject left home and began gaining his own livelihood and in 1879 entered Askar Seminary and received a diploma in 1881 and in 1882, after teaching school one year, he came to America and taught school in Wiscon- sin and Minnesota. He began a course in theology at Red Wing Seminary in 1883, and was ordained a minister in June, 1885, and was given charge of two congregations in Dover, and four congrega- tions in Vernon county, Wisconsin. He remained there nine years and was very successful in his work and was then called to his present charge.

Our subject was married, in 1885, to Miss Anna Olson, a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. Hjertaas are the parents of six daughters and

one son, deceased, as follows: Adelaide, Christian, deceased, Ella, Magdalena, Edith, Lydia and Rutlı. Mr. Hjertaas is faithful in his labors and is de- servedly loved by those among whom he works.

JONATHAN F. BISTLINE, an ex-soldier, and one of the pioneer settlers of Steele county, is the owner of a fine farm in section 26, in Ber- gen township, where his son conducts farming, and Mr. Bistline follows the carpenter's trade at Finley.

Mr. Bistline was born in Perry county, Penn- sylvania, August 20, 1843. His parents, Michael and Martha Bistline, were of German extraction. His father died when our subject was but a year old, and he was the youngest in a family of seven children. The mother succeeded in keeping the family together on the Pennsylvania farm until our subject was eight years of age, when she died, and our subject was bound out to a farmer and remained according to law until he attained the age of eighteen years. His education was limited and consisted all told of a little over a year's schooling. He apprenticed to a carpenter, and after two years his master died and he did not complete his time. Soon after the breaking out of the Civil war he enlisted for the cause of his country, and became a member of Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-third Pennsylvania Infantry, in August, 1862. He participated in the first battle of Fred- ericksburg, Antietam, Chancellorsville, and then was discharged from his nine months' service, and at once re-enlisted in Company M, Seventh Peun- sylvania Cavalry. He saw active service in the cavalry, and also as unmounted cavalry and joined in the Atlanta campaign and up through the Caro- linas. His record shows a list of twenty-six bat- tles and skirmishes, and he served as sergeant in the cavalry and escaped without wounds. He was mustered out of the service at Atlanta, Georgia, in September, 1865, and was discharged at Harris- burg, Pennsylvania, after a long and brave service. After his return from the war he plied his trade in Blain, Perry county, Pennsylvania, and in 1872 located on a farm in Ford county, Illinois. He went with his family to Dakota in the spring of 1882 and entered claim to land as a homestead in section 26 in Bergen township, Steele county, and now re- sides thereon. He resided in Hope and followed his trade four years, and many of the buildings of that city are the result of his handiwork. He has resided on the farm since 1886, and his son con- ducts the same while he follows his trade.

Our subject was married, in 1861, to Miss Maggie Kistler, a native of Pennsylvania. Six children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Bistline, as follows : McClellan, deceased; Harry, now in Seattle, Washington : Catherine A., now Mrs. T. Malone, of Hope, North Dakota: Samuel G., con- ducting the home farm; James; and William, de- ceased. Mr. Bristline is a man of broad mind and

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active public spirit, and has attended as a delegate numerous conventions of the Republican party, with which party he is identified.

FRED OLSON, residing on section 20, in Dwight township, is one of the early settlers of Richland county, and since locating in North Da- kota has improved his farm, making a comfortable home and gaining a competence for future years.

Our subject was born in Norway in October, 1858, and emigrated to America in 1870. He landed at Quebec and from thence proceeded to Minnesota, where he was employed at farm work and also worked on the railroad. He resided in Olmsted county for several years and went from there to North Dakota in 1879. He entered claim to one hundred and sixty acres of land in section 20, in Dwight township, and has made his home on that tract since. He owns one half-section of land and has placed such improvements on the estate as are found on the model farm.

Mr. Olson was married, in Rochester, Minne- sota, in 1878, to Carrie Hanson. Mr. and Mrs. Olson have been the parents of ten children, named as follows: Ole, Henry A., Oscar M., Fred O., Albert M., Laura F., Elmer R., Eda, Mabel C., and an infant, Clarence Elmer.

Our subject is a man of the strictest integrity, careful in his business habits and carries these characteristics into the details of his daily life. At whatever line of business he has been engaged he has made many friends by his push and energy and throughout his career has worked with per- sistent efforts to advance the interests of those for whom he labored as well as for his personal gain and he has been rewarded in a financial as well as social sense. The calling in which he is at present en- gaged is one of the honorable vocations which in its social aspect develops the virtue of hospitality, charity and kindness in a degree scarcely equalled by any other calling.

EDWARD SAUTEBIN. For over twenty years the farming interests of Cass county have been ably represented by Mr. Sautebin, who makes his home in Addison township, near Davenport. He has surrounded himself with all that goes to make country life pleasant and his estate is one of the finest in his locality, made so by his earnest efforts. He entered Dakota as a pioneer and he has since resided on the land he now owns and which he has developed into a highly cultivated tract.

Our subject was born near Berne, Switzerland, May 24, 1854, and was a son of Jacob F. and Julia (Gerod) Sautebin, both of whom were natives of Switzerland. The mother died when our subject was but three years of age and the father, who was a blacksmith by trade, emigrated with his family to America in 1865, landing November 2. They located in Wood county, Ohio, and from there went

to Duluth and then to Ottertail county, Minnesota, where the father died in 1876.

Our subject came to America with his father and remained with him until 1871, when he went to Fargo and worked there and at Morehead two years and then remained in Minnesota until 1879, when he returned to Fargo. During 1871-1872 he freighted from Morehead to Bismarck for the Northern Pacific Railroad Company, driving across. the plains, taking twenty days for the round trip. He settled on the farm where he now lives in 1879. and from that stretch of wild land has acquired a comfortable competence and a fine farm. He began to improve the land at once and when he had his first house almost completed it was destroyed by a tornado. A Mr. Brown was killed in the house and Mr. Sautebin was carried about forty rods in the building, but escaped injury. He now has five hundred and sixty acres of land, all of which is. under the plow and equipped with good buildings and plenty of machinery and conveniences to facili- tate the work of the place.

Our subject was married, in 1877, to Adella Blanchard, a native of Switzerland, who came to America with her parents in the '50s. Seven chil- dren have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sautebin,. named as follows: Mary, now Mrs. Zimmerman ; William, John, Walter, Alice, Ida and Luella. The family are members of the Evangelical church and are held in the highest esteem throughout their com- munity. Mr. Sautebin is a member of the Ancient' Order of United Workmen and Brotherhood of American Yeomen. He is active in local affairs and is serving as a member of the school board. Politically, he is a Republican.

ALFRED K. COCHRANE, general merchant of Finley, Steele county, and the present postmaster of that thriving village, was the pioneer merchant of that vicinity, and is widely known as a man of careful business methods and practical nature.

Our subject was born in Marquette county, Wis- consin, September 11, 1855. His parents, Hugh and Eliza (Robinson) Cochrane, were natives of Ireland, and were of Scotch and English extraction respectively. They are now deceased. Of a famı- ily of nine children born to this worthy couple, our subject was the sixth in order of birth. He was. reared to farm work, and at the age of seventeen years began working at farm work to earn his own livelihood. He started for the Red river country of Dakota in the spring of 1879, and took a homestead in Cass county, and the following year he and his young wife were duly installed in a 10x12-foot shanty, and bravely surmounted the difficulties inci- dent to pioneer life. Our subject removed to Steele county about 1883, and took land as a tree claim and pre-emption in Westfield township, and there re- mained until 1890. They then passed a year in Cali- fornia, and upon their return to Dakota our subject worked in a flouring mill at Northwood about four

ALFRED K. COCHRANE AND FAMILY.

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years. He went to Walker, Steele county, in the fall of 1896, near the present site of Finley, and es- tablished in the grocery business, where he re- mained until he erected the building he now occu- pies in Finley, and became the first business man of the village proper. He was appointed postmaster of Finley in 1897, which office he still ably fills.

Our subject was married in 1880 to Miss Cora Lester. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Cochrane, as follows: Ethel ; Ralph, de- ceased ; Nellie, deceased, and Hazel. A family group portrait is shown on another page. Mr. Cochrane is a supporter of the Methodist Episcopal church. He holds membership in the Modern Woodmen of America and Royal Neighbors. Po- litically he is a Republican, and is a man who keeps pace with the times in public affairs. He is treas- urer of Highland township, and is deservedly popu- lar with the people of his community.

BENJAMIN R. CRABTREE is one of the best known business men of Dickey county. He is yet in the prime of vigorous manhood, but has attained a position of prominence and is a man of excellent education and capacity. He is the popular cashier of the State Bank of Ellendale and is also a director and secretary of the Ellendale Milling Company.

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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 93

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