Blue Earth County, Minnesota - Biographical sketches, 1901 (part 14 of 15)

Upon starting out in the world for himself John C. Thompson was attracted by the possibilities of the great unknown northwest and he was influenced to cast his fortunes in with the frontier region of Minnesota, whither he came in 1855, settling in Blue Earth county. Shortly after his arrival he took up a quarter section of -government land and immediately began the^ arduous task of placing the tract under culti- vation, turning the first furrows in the sod and erecting the first set of buildings on the farm. Here he lived and labored for many years with varying success. At times fortune favored his undaunted efforts, but there were other seasons when he suffered reverses and endured misfortunes. Finally he retired from agricultural pursuits in 1903 and removed to Garden City.

The first marriage of Mr. Thompson took place in 1847 and united him with Esther Derby, who died some years afterv^ard, leaving two sons and one daughter. Afterward he was united with Olive Nicholson who was born in Essex county, ISTew York, 1829, and by whom he has five daughters and three sons, namely: Emma, Mary, Nellie, Alpha and Olive; Miles, Henry, Myron. Nellie and Miles are deceased. All of the children are married and happily established in homes of their own. The family hold membership in the Christian church and always have been generous contributors to religious and educational movements, believing that the permanent prosperity of any region depends upon the moral worth of its citizens. Politically Mr. Thompson voted with the Democratic party ever since he attained his majority, and more than once he was chosen, to occupy positions of responsibility within the gift of the people of his township, all of which positions he filled with fidelity and accuracy. Devotion to the welfare of township and county was apparent through all the long period of his residence here. As a citizen he was upright, patriotic and honorable, and in all of his relations with his fellowmen he proved himself to be worthy of their confidence and esteem. Mr. Thompson died at the home of his daughter, Olive Thurston, Nov. 20, 1908 of heart failure.

THOMPSON, JAMES R. - Through an official connection with the county of Blue Earth extending from the year 1890 to the present time, Mr. Thompson has been influential in promoting the material welfare of this locality and has been especially helpful along the lines of surveying and engineering, in both of which he is recognized as an expert. In 1890 he was chosen to occupy the office of county surveyor and continued in that capacity for four years.

During 1897 his talents received merited recogliition through his selection as city engineer of Mankato, which position he filled satisfactorily to all, and during that time many improvements of an important nature have been made. In all of the work which he superintends skill and thoroughness are apparent. Working in a quiet, painstaking manner, he achieves results that prove him to be a thorough and progressive engineer, and fis such he has won general recognition.

Tracing the history of the Thompson family, find them descendants of New England ancestry.. As early as 1855-56 two brothers, David and William R. Thompson, settled on the Watonwan in Blue Earth county, Minnesota. There were three sons in the family of William R., namely : John C. and William, of Yernon towriship; and George, who removed to the state of Washington. David had two sons, namely: Edward, who in 1854 settled in Garden City and became one of the very earliest pioneers of that town; and James G., a native of New York, and after 1856 a reside !it of Blue Earth county, Minnesota. The last named, James G., enlisted at the opening of the Civil war as a member of Company E, Ninth Minnesota Infantry. During the progress of the vrar he was commissioned captain in the Sixtyeighth United States Colored Infantry, and later became major of that regiment. Returning to Minnesota at the close of the war, he later was elected a member of the state legislature, in which he served for one term. For six and onehalf years he officiated as collector of customs at Bottineau, North Dakota, and for four years he held office as auditor of the county of the same name. At the expiration of his official labors he returned to Mankato, and May 26, 1899, his death occurred in this city.

During the residence of James G. and Erances Thompson at Garden City, Minnesota, their son, Jsmes R., was born March 3, 1860. His education was received in the various places where the family lived and in 1882 he was graduated from the Mankato high school, after which he took up the study of civil engineering. For three years he was employed in railroad construction work, and since then he has been en- gaged in liis work as a. county officer for the ' greater part of the time. Official honors liave come to him hy reason of his fitness for such work, rather than as a recompense for political activity. Indeed, he has taken no part whatever in politics aside from voting the Democratic ticket in national elections. In many offices he ; believes that less attention should be given to si- the opinions of the candidate concerning tariff, the currency issue, the trusts, etc., and more attention should be given to his personal qualifications, his integrity-, intelligence and fidelity to duty. Fraternally he holds membership with the Masons, Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Eoyal Arcanum. October 30, 1889, he was united in marriage with ISTellie J., daughter of Hon. Lysander Cook, a man of considerable pi'ominence in Lyra township. Blue Earth county. They are the parents of one son, James Lysander Thompson.

THUESTOX, FEAXK. - For more than fifty years the Thurston family has been identified with the history of Blue Earth coimty. Coming here during the year 185G, it fell to the lot of Eufus Thurston to experience all the hardships incident to frontier e.xistence. Indians were rumerous and at times outbreaks from them threw the settlements into deadly danger. Their depredations continued for some years and until they were finally removed by the government til points more remote from the white settlers. There were other dangers besides those from savages. The climate was severe and the winters long and trying. Often the stock was lost in storms and the farmer found himself cut off from all communication with- the outside world for weeks and even months at a time. Flour and other necessities were hauled from long distances. The log cabins weie illy equipped to carry a family in comfort through the long winter months, nor were the prnvi-ions for the stock any more satisfactory.

The log cabin occupied by the family stood in Ceresco township. Blue Earth county, and here Frank Thurston was born October 10, 1856, a few months after his parents, Eufus and Esther (Sharratt) Thurston, had settled on the land.

The father was born in Licking county, Ohio, and diTring early life engaged in farming in Winnebago county, Wisconsin, but in the spring of 1856, arrived in Mankato, Minnesota, where he remained for two weeks while seeking for a suitable homestead. During June, he brought his wife to the tract which ever since has remained in the possession of the family. In 1857 he was obliged to take his family back to Mankato where some three or four families lived in the school house during the Spirit Lake massacre, and to remain until the Indians ceased their depredations, and his losses were heavy through the stealing of clothing, groceries and stock by the red men. Countless hardships were endured by him and his wife in their effort to build up a home and rear their children in the midst of such dangers as threatened them from the Indians, besides the usual laborious tasks incident to frontier existence. He always felt that he should have been paid something for the heavy loss he sustained at the time of the New IJlm Massacre in 1862. It was his privilege to be spared to rejoice in the higher civilization that came in later days and when he died September 12. 1896, he left to his descendants the memory of a pioneer life bravely lived and countless obstacles valiantly surmounted.

The labor of clearing and improving a large tract of raw land left Eufus Thurston little leisure for participation in public affairs and he held no official positions except that of treasurer cf Ceresco township. After the organization of the Eepublican party he always voted that ticket. In his family there were three children, of whom the second son, Sherman, is now living in Garden City township, he married Nellie Thompson who bore him one son, but she died when the boy was hut seven years old ; he then married Ollie Thompson, a sister of Nellie: they were daughters of Mr. and Mr=. J. C. Thompson of Ceresco, by the last marriage there were five children. The youngest child and only daughter, Mae, married C. C. Francis, a farmer of Ceresco township and the present town clerk. The widowed mother is still living, loved and honored hy all. and her home is with her son, Frank, on the farm where she came as a young wife more than fifty years ago. The estate comprises six hundred and eighty acres, of which four hundred and fiftj' acres are under cultivation, while the balance is in pasturage and in timber. All of the improvements have been made by the Thurston family. Poland-China hogs and Oxford sheep are specialties of the present owner, who has met with gratifying success in raising the same, while at the same time he also is an experienced general farmer. Like his father, he votes the Republican ticket and like him he has served as and is now township treasurer. In religious belief he is identified with the Christian church and has been a generous contributor to the missionary movements and general maintenance of that organization.

TINKCOM, JAMES EAY. - For more than half a century a resident of Mankato, James P- Tinkcom, the veteran druggist, real estate dealer and all-round good citizen, finds himself more firmly fixed in the confidence and affection of its people than when he came to the place as an energetic able young New Yorker with most of his life lying in the unknown future. Whatever his individual opinion as to the outcome, if his relatives and many friends could have him live it again they would not have it different, as it has been filled with good and useful works prompted by the ambitions of the nonnal man, by the faithful forehandedness of the ideal American of family, and by the higher spirit of Christian helpfulness, charity and uplifting grace. Such men make the United States what it is - a nation whose inspiring messages to the world also carry with them the weight of piactical achievement.

Mr. Tinkcom is a son of the Empire State, born at Mayville, January 29, 1821, the son of Hezekiah and Anna (Sprague) Tinkcom, his father being proprietor of a hoted there for many years, as well as Sheriff of Chautauqua County and altogether a citizen of weight and honor in the public affairs of his locality. The boy was industrious and studious, and after receiving an academic education, seemed destined for a professional career. In 1841, he began the study of medicine, but although he was a student for two years he never engaged in practice. His investigations in the field of materia medica, however, induced him to venture into the manufacture of medicines for a short time, then he kept his father's hotel for a brief period and for five years before coming to Mankato was engaged in the grocery business.

Arriving at Mankato on the 10th of November, 1856, Mr. Tinkcom was so taken with the beauty and promise of the place that he decided to look no further for a western location. After purchasing some property he returned to his home i:i May^alle, closed up his affairs there and in the following spring, with his wife, commenced hi? long and honorable life in his adopted town. At first he formed a partnership in the general merchandising business with A. E. Hawley, a New York acquaintance, and they erected a store on the lot now occupied by the L. Patterson wholesale house, and under the firm name of A. F. Hawley & Company they conducted the enterprise until 1861. In the spring of that year the partnership was dissolved, and Mr. Tinkcom entered the drug business, to which his early studies and natural disposition especially adapted him, his thorough knowledge, courtesy and ability bringing to him so large a trade that he was soon proprietor of two prosperous stores, one was in charge of Jason E. Wickersham. He had the foresight to invest his business profits in real estate, and in 1873, laid out an addition on the south side of Mankato. Since 1863, in fact, he has devoted his entire attention to his large real estate interests, that is, in the field of business, but not to the exclusion of public and religious affairs. He is an old-time Democrat and has well served the people of Mankato for one term as City Treasurer. In religion hr is a firm believer in Episcopalianism and was one of the organizers of the local church.

Married on the 2d of May, 1851, to Miss Laura A, Davis, at Sugar Grove, Pennsylvania, Mr. Tinkcom was blessed with a happy married life whose span even passed the limits of the golden anniversary, his wife leaving him in 1904, at the venerable age of seventy-four. They were the parents of one child Mary L., wife of 0. G. Lundberg, and herself the mother of Auglde Estella. Mr. Tinkcom has one sister of the five children in his family, Mary by name and a resident of Conneautville, Pennsylvania.

TKAVEBSE, C. W. - Lifelong residence in Vernon Center township, attendance at its schools and acquaintance among its leading citizens, have endeared to Mr. Traverse this portion of Blue Earth count}-. While he is yet a young man he already has won a distinctive position among the farmers of the township and displays wise judgment as well as energy in the management of his quarter section farm. Care and cultivation have been bestowed upon the tract, all of which is under the plow and divided by fences into fields of convenient size. The crops are such as suit the soil and latitude, and in addition to general farming the owner gives some attention to the raising of shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs, in which he has been successful.

Born in Vernon Center township July 22, 1877, C. W. Traverse is the only surviving son of Thomas J. and Margaret M. (Hinton) Traverse. There were eleven children in the family, but all are deceased except C. W. and three sisters, namely: Eva, who married George Blair; Jane, Mrs. Arthur Edgerton; and Julia, who is the wife of Walter Fleming. The father was born at Ogdensburg, New York, in 1837, and upon starting out to make his own way in the world sought a home in the northwest, where he bought a tract of raw land in Vernon Center township as early as 1861:. Diligent industry resulted in the improving of the land and the placing of various important improvements on the property, and here he remained until his death, which occurred in 1906. Politically he always voted with the Eepublican party. While Qot solicitous for office he consented to fill a number of local positions of trust. Loyal to the welfare of the county, he was helpful in promoting movements for the benefit of the pioneers and under every circumstance proved himself to be courageous, resolute and public-spirited. After the brutal murder of the Jewett family by Indians he joined the whites in pursuit of the savages, whom he had the satisfaction of assisting to capture.

The marriage of C. W. Traverse and Libbie M. Thompson was solemnized in September, 1902, in Blue Earth county, the bride being a daughter of J. G. and Elizabeth Thompson, prominent and honored old settlers of the county. Two children, Margaret and Eoyal, bless the union of Mr. and Mrs. Traverse and brighten their home with their cheerful presence. The mother of Mr. Traverse also makes her home with them and the evening of her life is brightened by their affectionate ministrations. The home of the family attracts many visitors from among their neighbors and friends, and a hospitable welcome awaits all. For years Mr. Traverse has been active in the work of the Christian charch and a contributor to its maintenance, as well as to other worthy movements for the well-being of the community.

TEUB, JAY W. - The lineage of the True family is traced back to colonial patriots of New England. One of the ancestors enlisted at the opening of the Eevolutionary war and endured all the hardships of that memorable struggle, remaining at the front until the colonies had gained their final victory. At the close of the war he settled on a farm at Centre Harbor, New Hampshire. Two generations lived on that old homestead. There Charles 0. True, a grandson of the Eevolutionary hero, was born and reared. At the outbreak of the Civil war he enlisted, bui was rejected on account of poor health. However, in 1862 he was accepted as a soldier and remained in the service until the close of the rebellion. During early manhood he was employed in the Baldwin locomotive works, but after 186y he engaged in farm pursuits in Minnesota. His wife, who bore the maiden name of Sarah A. Page, was a descendant, both on the paternal side and through the maternal side (the Cambridge family), of Welsh and English progenitors identified with the early settlement of New England.

Jay W. True was born at Lowell, Massachussets, February 7, 1867, and was two years of age when the family came to Minnesota. After studying in the country schools and Winnebago high school, he entered the Mankato normal school, from which he was graduated in 1891; Soon afterward he took up civil engineering in a special course, but owing to poor health was obliged to relinquish hope of entering that profession. From childhood he was fond of country life and enjoyed spending his vacations from school upon the farm, engaged in duties devolving on an agriculturist. While in the normal school he was business manger of a school publication and in this capacity obtained a business acquaintance with the Free Press Printing Company of Mankato. When obliged to abandon civil engineering, he secured a position in the business department of the Free Press Printing Company. Under the postmaster, W. W. P. Mc- Connell, he was appointed assistant postmaster of Mankato, and filled the position until the change of administration in 1894. For a time he engaged in the retail grocery business, after which he embarked in the. printing and box making business, and later was connected with Brown, Tracy & Sperry, manufacturing printers, of St. Paul. January 1, 1896, he returned to the Free Press Printing Company's office and for six years worked constantly to build up the manufacturing department of the business. In 1902 he and M. D. Fritz and F. W. Hunt each purchased a one-third interest in the newspaper and manufacturing business of the Free Press Printing Company, which since they have conducted with gratifying success.

Although reared a Democrat, Mr. True was not in sympathy with the theories advanced by William J. Bryan concerning a silver standard, and he is now an ardent admirer and supporter of the Eoosevelt administration. When twentyone years of age he joined the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and since then he has become identified with the Modern Woodmen of America, United Order of Foresters and Modern Brotherhood of America, also in 1905 became a member of the camp of Elks at Mankato. His early religious training and associations were with the Universalists, but as this denomination has no house of worship in Mankato, his family attend' the Presbyterian church. July 13, 1892, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary Elizabeth Bottomley, of Nashville, Minnesota, the daughter of an English family who after a number of years in New England came to Minnesota and engaged in farming. Her father, Seth Bottomley, was one of the best-known advocates of farmers' interests in the northwest and was a writer of no small ability on political and farm topics for the agricultural .papers of this state.

ULRICH, WILLIAM A. - The commercial activities of Blue Earth county have a wellknown and resourceful representative in the person of William A. Ulrich, a native-born son of Minnesota and one of the rising young men of his county. The family of which he is a member belongs to German stock, his father, Julius, and grandfather, Gottlieb Ulrich, haviag been natives of Germany. As early as 1853 the latter crossed the ocean to the new world and proceeded westward until he had arrived in Wisconsin, where he secured a tract of raw land and embarked in the tedious task of transforming the same into a fertile farm. For years he lived in that state, industriously following his chosen occupation. During the year 1871 he moved to Minnesota and secured land near Waseca and Janesville, where again he engaged in the toilsome labor of building up a good farm. Early iu the '90s he came to Amboy, Blue Earth county, and here made his home until death.

On the home farm near Janesville, Waseca county, Minnesota, William A. Ulrich was born in 1875, and there be passed the uneventful years of boyhood, alternating attendance at school in winter with work on the farm in summer. After leaving school he gave his entire attention to farm work for some time, but at the age of twenty-five years he went into the village of Janesville and engaged as clerk in a store for seven months. From that village he came to Willow Creek, Blue Earth county, where he clerked in the general store of his cousin for iwo years and three months. Meanwhile the cousin purchased a store at Lewisville, Minnesota, and Mr. Ulrich was sent to that place to assume the management of the business, in which he bought an interest at the expiration of four months as manager. Two years later the store was sold and he returned to Willow Creek, where he bought his cousin's store and has since conducted the business. The trade extends for miles in all directions and by fair treatment he has made friends of his customers. The stock includes merchandise, groceries, hardware, and the various additional items to be found in a first-class country store.

Adolph J. Veigel

curred June 14, 1905, and united him with Miss Emma Ludtke, who was born in Pleasant Mound township, Blue Earth county, being a daughter of Amel Ludtke, one of the industrious farmers of the locality. During the period of his residtnce in Lewisville Mr. Ulrich was a member of the village council and also served as a notary public. Since his return to Willow Cieek he has acted as treasurer of Pleasant ilound township and has evinced a warm interest in town affairs,, being a leading local worker in the Eepublican party and a member of the county central committee. Progressive citizenship and devotion to the welfare of the town have won for him the confidence of the people and have contributed to his well-deserved success.

ULEICH, WILLIAM P. - Conspicuous among the improved farms of Eapidan township is the homestead of William F. Ulrich, who owns One hundred and ninety acres, all of which is under cultivation excepting ten acres. When he acquired the property no attempt had been made at improvement and the present thrifty condition of the estate proves his judgment and en i.'igy as a farmer. The wild land has been transformed into fertile acres under his intelligent oversight. All of the trees on the place have been set out (since he came here and other improvements have been made conducive both to beauty and to comfort. Barns furnish facilities for the storage of grain and the shelter of stock, of which latter he owns some fine Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs. All of his property has been accumulated by hard work and furnishes conclusive proof as to his ability and sagacity.

Born in Prussia October 36, 1852, William P. Ulrich was fourteen years of age when in 1866 he crossed the ocean with his parents, Charles F; and Dora (Moore) Ulrich, natives of Germany. Immediately after landing they proceeded westward across the country until they arrived in Blue Earth county, Minnesota, where the father took up a tract of raw land in Eapidan township. The property is now owned by a son, Charles Jr. While living in the old country the father had followed the blacksmith's trade.

hut after coming to the United States he engaged in agricultural pursuits until his death at the old home. Of his family of eight children all bu^- two are still living, the youngest being William F., who received a fair German and English education and is a well-informed man. While it was not possible for him to attend school regularly after he came to the Uunited States he possessed habits of study and close observation and in that way acquired considerable knowledge of the most valuable kind. Thoroughly understanding the soil of the county he knows how to secure from its cultivation the largest returns and by experience he has become a skilled farmer.

The marriage of Mr. Ulrich took place during the year 1875 and united him with Miss Lena Wingen, member of a pioneer family concerning whom mention is made in the sketch of A. J. Wingen. Three sons comprise their family. William and Edward operate a general store at Good Thunder. Jacob, the youngest, is a graduate of the Mankato Business College. The principles advocated by the Democratic party have received the stanch support of Mr. Ulrich ever since he attained his majority and he may always be relied upon to support party meadures. While not solicitous of official honors, he consented to fill the position of roadmaster and in that capacity accomplished much toward improving the highways of his township. Givingliis attention closely to farm pursuits, he has not had leisure for participation in public affairs or in fraternities and does not hold membership in any social or fraternal organization.

VEIGEL, ADOLPH J. - The postmaster of Mankato is a native of the county where he now resides and was born near Indian Lake on November 30, 1872, being a son of Charles and Susan (Lentz) Veigel, natives of Germany. During the pioneer history of Minnesota, the parents became residents of the state, where they grew to maturity and were married. As early as 1855, the father came to Blue Earth county and took up a claim of one hundred and sixty acres in Mankato township, where from a raw tract of land he developed an improved farm. To secure such a home, many privations were encoun- tered and bravely endured. In addition to meeting all the hardships incident to building up a homestead in a new region, he suffered the hardships of war, being for three years a soldier in the Civil war. Before old age had come to him he had won a fair degree of agricultural success and ranked among the prosperous men of his township. He died in 1899 at the age of sixty-three years. Surviving him are his widow and their four children, the latter being named as follows : Walter E., who is employed as United States surveyor and city engineer of Dickinson, Stark county. North Dakota; Adelbert L., a farmer of Mankato township residing on the old homestead, and also filling the position of manager of the Mankato Dairy Association; Amanda V., wife of P. D. McKellar, county auditor of Jackson county, this state; and Adolph J., of Mankato.

A. J. Veigel, after completing his studies in the public schools, attended the Mankato Normal School, graduating from the advanced course in 1893, and also the Mankato Commercial College. He taught school in Otter Tail county, Minnesota, and on his return to Blue Earth county secured a position as traveling salesman for the Mankato Free Press. June 1, 1898, under Postmaster L. P. Hunt, he was appointed assistant postmaster of Mankato, and afterward continued in the same position with C. L. Benedict, his retention under the two administrations proving conclusively his intelligence, ability, and fitness for the position. He was appointed postmaster of Mankato by President Eoosevelt and took charge of the office on March 17, 1907. Stanch in his allegiance to the Eepublican party, he has taken an active interest in national and state politics and wields considerable influence in local affairs of that character. October 10, 1898, he was united in marriage with Mary A. McGivney of Mankato, daughter of Peter and Catherine McGivney. He is an active worker in the Mankato Commercial Club. Fraternally he belongs to the Independent Order of. Odd Fellows, the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, and the Eoyal Arcanum, in which latter he has been prominently associated with Mankato Council No. 1520, and at this writing officiates as its Eegent.

VEANIZAN, PD^REE L. - After a long illness bravely borne, and at the end of a life in which were blended practical business achievements and more than average travel and adventure, Pierre L. Vranizan passed from^ the ken of the people of Mankato, many of whom had known him intimately and well as a promoter of the commercial, social, intellectual and moral v\- elf are of the community. Mr. Vranizan introduced in his adopted city human elements singularly interesting, alert and adaptive, which, doubtless came of association with many parts and peoples of the world. His very origin suggested a multiplicity of characteristics more or less picturesque and unusual, for he was born in the Island of Cittavechio, Dalmation, on the west coast of the Adriatic sea, November 3, 1839, and his formative period was spent among the wanders from many climes who persue their diversified occupations in this particular part of the Austrian empire.

From the ships which came and went ceaselessly, bringing news of the possibilities of other parts of the world, Mr. Vranizan gained that noble unrest which resulted in his uprooting himself from his native island in 1859, and with all the enthusiasm and faith of a lad of twenty, he started upon a, tour of -adventure, visiting many parts of Europe and Asia, and finally arriving in London, England, where seemed to be centered the well worn avenues to all the nooks of the world. In his quest for adventure he was inspired by still another motive, that of escaping conscription duty in Italy, as the army of that country occupied Dalmatia at that time, and was forcing all able bodied sons of the land into ihe service. At the port of London he took passage to Auckland, New Zealand, and on board ship met his future bride, Anna Dabner, Avith whom he was united in marriage August 16, 1866, in the quaint city of Auckland.

In April, 1873, Mr. Vranizan left Auckland on the United States steamer, Nebraska, and the following June arrived at the port of San Francisco. Journeying eastward to La Crosse, Wisconsin, he engaged in business until 1876, in which year he moved to Eochester, Minnesota, ten years later locating in Mankato, which remained his headquarters for the balance of his life. Por fourteen years he engaged as a commercial traveler, but finally retired from active life, his industry and thrift having insured him against the emergencies of the future. Two years before his death he retraced his steps around the viforld, visiting his birthplace among the still unchanged conditions of the Adriatic, and for a time sojourning with his brother in New Zealand, a miner by occupation, and who at one time visited in Mankato. He journeyed also to London, England, renewing his acquaintance with landmarks with which he had familiarized himself at the beginning of his wanderings, and while in the foggy paradise of the English contracted the illness which weakened his system, and directly led to his regretted transition. He is survived by his wife and one . of his three daughters, Mrs. W. G. Hoerr. Miss Pauline Vranizan and Mrs. Grove E. Johnson are the two deceased daughters of the household.

Eminently social in his inclinations, Mr. Vranizan was a member for many years of the Masons, and had attained the rank of Knights Templar. He was a valuable addition to the lodges, having a splendid memory, and diversified social attainments. He was one of the most interesting conversationalists in the city, and his accounts of the peoples and incidents in other lands always- was entertaining and informing. He was a man whom to know was to respect and admire, and his life and character might well serve as an inspiration to the forceful, inquiring younger generation.

WAENEE, AMOS. - No contradiction will be given the statement that the present prosperity of Blue Earth county may be attributed primarily to the self-sacrificing efforts of pioneers. Everywhere it is recognized that such is the bare statement of an established fact. A noteworthy position among the pioneers of Garden City township is held by Amos Warner, who as early as 1856 brought his young wife to Minnesota and settled in the locality whose development he has since witnessed and whose progress he has fostered. Contrasting the past with the present, he recalls that Indians were numerous in those far-distant days and often bands of hostile savages would bring peril to the little frontier settlement. The few white settlers were bound together by the ties of common danger and a common ambition and friendships were formed that naught but death could sever.

While more than fifty years of the life of Amos Warner have been passed in Minnesota, he is of eastern birth and parentage, and was born in 1822 in Chenango county, New York, his birth occurring five days after the death of his father, Ephriam Warner, a native of Massachusetts and a farmer by occupation. The mother bore the maiden name of Sarah Hill and was born and reared in New York. The scarcity of schools and the poverty of the family, made it impossible for Mr. Warner to receive first-class educational advantages, but he availed himself to the utmost of the meagre opportunities offered. Upon starting out to make his own way in the world he was led to the then frontier in search of cheap lands. His first experience was in Indiana, where he remained from 1811 to 1846. Next he removed to Iowa, and two years later established himself among the pioneers of Wisconsin, where he remained until his removal to Minnesota. During the period of his residence in Wis* consin he was united in marriage in 1854 with Aurelia Dilley of that state. They are the parents of three sons and two daughters, one daughter is married and lives in Minneapolis and the other is a widow and lives with her parents. The sons reside respectively in Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth, where they occupy responsible positions and possess many friends.

Prom the organization of the Republican party j\lr. Warner has been in sympathy with its tenets and a voter for its candidates. While making his home in Wisconsin he was chosen to occupy a number of important local positions and these he filled with faithfulness and efficiency. Since coming to ^Minnesota he has ably represented his township as a member of the county board of supervisors and also has officiated in the capacity of township treasurer, to both of which positions he was elected on the Republican ticket. Years ago he and his wife identified themselves with the Methodist Episcopal church and ever since then they have been contributors to its missioDary enterprises and faithful to its doctrines. In the twilight of their busy years they are surrounded by the esteem of friends, the devotion of children and the coniidence of associates. In their neat and quiet country home they welcome their many friends and frequently tliey entertain them by thrilling narratives of their experiences with Indians and their constant danger from the depredations of the red man.

WAENEE, M. D., CHAELES P. - During the long period of his residence in Mankato, Dr. Warner has been a leader in all movements for securing the permanent progress and prosperity of the place. Not alone in his profession, in which he long has been recognized as skilled and painstaking, but along all lines of important activity he has been an influential local factor, contributing of time, influence, judgment and means to the furtherance of progressive projects. As an instance of his far-seeing judgment, it may be mentioned that he was an ardent worker in the plan for the purchase of .Sibley park by the city. There are few spots in Minnesota more beautiful than this picturesque tract of seventy acres and its ownership by the city renders a convenience for the citizens to enjoy delightful days near home during the summer months. An admirer of attractive scenery, the doctor has enjoyed with particular pleasure the landscape environment of Blue Earth county, with its thirty or more lakes and its five rivers rendered beautiful by high bluffs, sharp curves and wooded islands. Indeed, in our own midst are the beauties of land and water that many seek in other climes in vain.

Of eastern birth and parentage. Dr. Warner was born at Covington, Genesee county. New York, August 30, 1832, being a son of Dr. Eben Warner, who for twenty years practiced medicine at ' Covington and for years of his later life held rank among the successful physicians of Nunda, New York. The education of Charles F. Warner was begun in local schools and continued in the Wesleyan seminary at Lima, New York, after which he took up medical studies in his father's ofEice. Upon the death of his father in 1852 he matriculated in Jefferson Medical college, of Philadelphia, where he took the complete course of lectures and was graduated in March, 1854. Eeturning to Nunda, he took up the practice of his profession and soon rose to a position of prominence as a rising young physician. At the opening of the Civil war he offered his services to the Union and was accepted, becoming first assistant surgeon of the One Hundred and Thirty-sixth New York Infantry. Later he was commissioned surgeon of the Pifty-eighth New York National Guard.

Discontinuing his practice at Nunda, New York, Dr. Warner closed out his interests there in 1869 and removed to Minnesota, opening an office at Mankato, where he has continued in active practice up to the present time. Por two terms he held office as county physician, and for about twelve years he was city health officer. Upon the founding of the Minnesota Valley Medical Association he was a prime worker, he was honored with the office of president in 1882. Prom that time to the present he has retained a warm interest in the society. Por twenty-four years he has been a member of the American Medical Association, and since 1893 he has affiliated with the International Eailway Surgeons' Association. Besides his regular practice he has acted since 1882 as local surgeon for the 'Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Chicago-Northwestern, and the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Eailroads.

Immediately after leaving the medical college and entering upon professional life. Dr. Warner established a home of his own, being united with Miss Esther S. Town, of Nunda, New York. Three children came to bless their union, and two of these lived to mature years, namely: Clayton E., who died in February, 1901; and Mrs. Lillaette W. Baker. Aside from his prominence professionally. Dr. Warner has been active in civic affairs and has served his fellow citizens in various capacities. In 1873 he was elected an alderman and was honored by being chosen president of the common council. Not the least important acts of his civic life was his identification with the securing of waterworks for the city, a needed improvement that has contributed much to the growth and health of the city. At time he was president of the Mankato Driving

Dr. C. F. Warner

Park Association. The fact that he was influenced to cast in his lot with the people of Mankato many years ago is to be regarded as a fortunate happening for the city, for the citizenship of a progressive, public-spirited man is of unquestioned value in securing to any city its most substantial progress and permanent development.

WARREN, M. B. - More than one-half century has passed since Mr. Warren sought a home amid the primeval surroundings of Blue Earth county and began the arduous task of developing a tract of raw land into a profitable estata. Through all of the period that his since elapsed he has made his home in Vernon Center township and engaged in agricultural pursuits untiJ advancing years and the accumulation of a competency rendered further efforts undesirable and unneeded. Looking back over the past fifty years he sees the wonderful transformation wrought by the pioneers. Indians were numerous in the early period of his residence here and more than once his life and property were imperiled by their depredations. Pie witnessed the execution of the 38 Sioux Indians. White settlers were few, but these few were bound together by ties of a common ambition and a common peril. New settlers were given a hearty welcome and hospitality was a part of the creed of the pioneer.

Born in New York state in 1826, M. B. Warren is a son of Sylvanus and Betsy (Fairchild) Warren, natives respectively of New York and Vermont. The father was by occupation a farmer and in search of new land he removed from the east to Michigan, two years later going to Wisconsin but later returning to ilichigan, where he and his wife remained until their death. Fourteen children comprised their family,- of whom the survivors are Harriet, Marshall, and M. B. The last-named grew to manhood on the home farm and early learned lessons of self-reliance and patient industry. The family being poor and the children numerous, he took up the burden of self-support at an age when most boys are attending school. During 1851 he married Sarah J., daughter of John and Lucinda (Brooks) Nicholson, natives of Ohio and

The identification of Mr. \\'arren with the agricultural development of Vernon Center township dates from the year 1857, when he took up land here and began to till the soil. At this writing he owns sixty acres of land, forty acres of the tract lying within the corporate limits of Vernon Center village. All that he has came through his unaided afforts. No one assisted him to secure a start in life and he did not even possess the advantage of a good education; in spite of such handicaps he attained a competency and became a farmer of considerable influence in his township. Of recent years he has been retired from active labors and has turned over to others the management of his land. His tastes have rendered him averse to official positions and he has refused all offices except such as are connected with the schools. However, he has never failed to keep posted concerning the issues before our countr}- and has been stanchly loyal to his county and commonwealth. In early manhood he voted with the Prohibitionists, and he still is in hearty sympathy with the movement for the suppression of the liquor traffic.

The family of Mr. and Mrs. Warren consists of six living children, and two, Alice and Grace, are deceased. The eldest son, Ira E., operates a farm in Vernon Center township. The second son, Edward, is proprietor of a store at Vernon Center. Willis received an excellent education, studied theology, became a minister in the Congregational denomination and at this writing makes his home at Lake City. The youngest son, Carlos, is engaged in farming the old homestead. Ada is living at Clear Lake, South Dakota, and Sadie married Edward Barnes, who is interested in farming and also carries on mercantile pursuits at Vernon Center.

WEBSTER, M. D., I. DANIEL. - At an early period in the colonization of America the Webster and King families became identiflcd with the settlement of Lancaster county, and, being stanch members of the Society of Friends, they organized a congregation of that sect in their new home. Later generations were prominent in the development of the county and in the growth of the churcli. The two families became connected through the marriage of I. Daniel Webster^ Sv., and Phoebe Eing, both of M'hom were born and reared in Lancaster county, and settled after marriage upon a farm in the vicinity of their birthplace. When the Civil wax began he enlisted in the Union army and rose to the command of his company. During the closing year of the war he died at the age of thirty-three. A few years afterward the widowed mother removed to Minneapolis and ill 1869, settled at Mankato, where ehe passed away in November, 1883, at the age of fortynine years. Of her three children the youngest, his father's namesake, alone survives. He was born in Lancaster county, Pennsylvania, December 12, 1865, and was four years of age when his mother brought him to Mankato. After her death he returned to the county of his birth and spent one year in college preparatory work, after which he matriculated in Swathmore college. Completing the course of study in the spring of 1887, he then traveled in Europe for a few months, and in the fall of the same year returned to America, entered the medical department of the University of Pennsylvania, and was graduated in 1890, winning the first prize for surgical dressing at the time of his graduation. While in college he made a record in athletics and won the amateur championship in running high jump.

After a year's work as interne in a hospital and a few months in post-graduate work, during the fall of 1891, Dr. Webster returned to his childhood's home, Mankato, where he since won a high position as a physician and surgeon. May 10, 1893, he was united in marriage with Miss Anna Mary Jackson, who was born at Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, being a daughter of Howard M. Jenkins, editor of the Friend's Intelligencer and Journal, of Philadelphia. Dr. and Mrs. Webster are earnest members of the Society of Friends and in that faith they axe training their children, Dorothea, Agnes, Elizabeth, Allan King and Phillip Jenkins. The doctor's fraternal connections include membership in the Knights of Pythis, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and Independent Order of Odd Fellows. While he has to a large degree limited his attention to the care of his large practice, this has not caused him to lose sight of his duties as a citizen. Measures fox the general welfare receive his hearty co-operation. When a company was organized for the establishment of a telephone system, in Mankato, he gave his enthusiastic support to the plan and has since served as a director of the company owning the system. The Citizens Bank of Mankato also numbers him among its directors. As a silent partner he has membership in the S. D. Worlis Company and the Works-Evarts Lumber Company. All through the years of his residence here he has been a champion of educational, religious and commercial movements, believing each to be essential in the upbuilding of an ideal city and a contented citizenship.

WERGES, KASPER H. - The establishment of the Werges family in the United States had its origin in the emigration in 1848 of Frederick AV. Werges, a native of Hanover, and of ancient Teutonic ancestry. Prior to his emigration he had acquired a thorough knowledge of the shoemaker's trade while serving as an apprentice, and this occupation he followed fon a time in the new world. After having spent two years in St. Louis, in 1850 he removed to Cincinnati, and in 1852 became a pioneer of Iowa, whence, in 1857, he came to Minnesota, settling in Sibley county. With two other families he settled in Kelso township twelve miles from their nearest neighbors. Privations and haxdships fell to his lot, but eventually he won a fair degree of success. On his farm there was a rich black loam with a clay subsoil, practically the same a.s in Blue Eaith county, and a soil of such depth and rich quality enabled him to produce crops of considerable magnitude as well as fine quality. After a long period on the farm, during which time he witnessed the development of the country and the improving of valuable farms, he sold his place, and in January of 190(5' he passed away at the age of eighty-three years and nine months. By his marriage to Catherine Marting, a native of Hanover, Germany, he had four eons and two daughters, all of whom are happily married and established in homes of their own.

The eldest of the family, Kasper H., was born ir Clayton county, Iowa, May 19, 1856, and from his earliest recollections has been familiar with agricultural life in Minnesota, where he first attended country schools and then for a year was a pupil at St. Peter. Leaving the old homestead in 1874, he took up the trade of a carpenter and soon began to follow the same with such industry and application that he rose to be a contractor and builder, and took contracts for many buildings at Gaylord, Minnesota, his home town. Meanwhile he also became interested with a partner in the furniture business. During 1889 he sold out his interest in the furniture establishment and accepted a position as a'gent at Gaylord for the lumber firm of N"elson Tenney & Co., of Minneapolis. The following year he came to Amboy in the interests of the same firm, for whom he opened and conducted a yard. When the firm sold out to the C. L. Coleman Lumber Company in 1895, he was retained in the same position, which he has since filled satisfactorily to all concerned, having built up an extensive and important business in the town. His yard has a frontage of sixty-six feet, with a depth of one hundred and fifty feet, and a considerable portion of the space is under roof. Building material of all kinds is handled, also cement, tile, stone, ladders and fuel.

On Christmas day of 1880 Mr. Werges was united in marriage with Minnie K. Mansfield, a native of Germany, and a danghter of Martin Mansfield, one of the pioneers of Dryden township, Sibley county, this state. They are the parents of two sons, namely: W. H., now in the employ of the Northwestern Railroad Company; and Martin H., who remains with his parents and is a student in local schools. In addition to his extensive lumber-yard interests, Mr. Werges has other business association of an important character, including the agency for the Hartford Fire Insurance Company and the Phoenix of Brooklyn. With Charles W. Chamberlain as a partner, he has engaged extensively in taking contracts for cement sidewalks, for foundations of fai-m buildings, cement floors in stables, and indeed cement work of every description and for the varied uses to which it is so admirably adapted.

The recognized business ability of Mr. Werges has led to his selection to fill the important office of president of the village council, while his deep interest in the securing of good schools has influenced him to accept ofliice on the school board, of which he is president at this writing. The schools of Amboy owe much to his intellig(.nt oversight and wise supervision. In fraternal relations he is associated with the Modern Woodmen of America as clerk for Linden Camp No. 2330; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having passed the chairs in the Amboy lodge, of which he is now financial secretary, also past chief patriarch ; and the Ancient Order of United Workmen, of which during his association with Shelby lodge he acted as financial secretary.

WHEELEE, ALMON L. - The above named gentleman has just cause to take pride in the work of his hands, for through his industry, persistency and good business judgment Mankato has been generally benefited, and he has the special satisfaction of seeing in the construction of some of its finest buildings the honest and attractive output of his brick manufacturing plant. He was trained in the business and the industry '"Irom the ground up," or in his case the saying might be paraphrased, "from the ground down." With limited opportunities for acquiring an education, or advancement of any kind, he came to Mankato forty years ago, with just two dollars and fifty cents in his pocket, but with determination in his eye, he has since become one of the most prosperous brick manufacturers in Southern Minnesota, and a most honored citizen of his adopted city.

Mr. Wheeler comes of Englisli ancestry on the paternal side and of Scotch on the maternal, his birthplace being Stockbridge, Wisconsin, and the day, January 30, 1851. The son of Samuel F. and Alice C. ( Dudley ) Wheeler, his parents were natives of Massachusetts, who removed to that

Wisconsin town a few years after their marriage, pre-empted land, returned to Massachusetts for twelve years, and then made the Badger state their home for seven years before coming to Minnesota. For twenty years the family resided in McLeod and Meeker counties, Minnesota, after which the parents migrated still further west to Oregon, where they still live - the father, at the age of eighty-two, and the mother, aged eighty.

Almon L. Wheeler is the second in a family of nine children, six boys and three girls. When he was a lad in Wisconsin he learned the art of brick making, and was superintendent of several plants before he located at Mankato. In 1887 he first established an independent business by purchasing twenty-six acres of land in N"orth Mankato from Dr. Lewis, and opening a brick yard in partnership with Oscar E. Bennett, under the firm name of Wheeler & Bennett. This connection has since continued and the enterprise has developed to large proportions. The twenty-six acres mentioned now embraces a portion of the village of ^STorth Mankato, where Mr. Wheeler has not only erected his own fine brick residence, but attractive homes for others. He has the honor of building the first house in the village of liorth Mankato, which is still well preserved and occupied. Many public buildings 'of the city of Mankato also contain evidences of the fine output of his firm, which has also established a plant at Wrenshall, Minnesota, with an annual capacity of siz million brick. Personally Mr. Wheeler is the owner of six hundred and twenty acres of land in Northern Minnesota, and is in every respect esteemed an enterprising, substantial and honorable member of the community.

In 1873 Mr. Wheeler was united in marriage to Miss Maria Cook, daughter of Andrew C. and Phelje (Belcher) Cook and granddaughter of the late Ex-Governor Belcher, an old and well known resident of N"ew Jersey. Outside of his domestic and social family circles, he is quite active in his fraternal relations, having filled all the chairs in tlie I. 0. 0. P. lodge and being identified with the B. P. 0. E. He is also active in the work of the Commercial Club, whose aims are both sO'- cial and toward the development of the business and industrial progress of Mankato.

WHITE, PRANK W. - An influential position among the business industries of Amboy is held by the firm of White .fe Dredge, the senior member of which has been a resident of Blue Earth county since a lad of nine years. Long experience in the lumber business qualifies him for the management of such interests, for he has gained a thorough knowledge of prices, values and materials, and is competent to buy and sell with sagacity and keen intelligence. In earlier years he carried on business with A. E. Salisbury, now of Mankato, but at the expiration of seven years he purchased his partner's interest in the business. Since then he has had John H. Dredge as a partner, and the firm has carried a complete line of building material, stone, lime, cement, wood, coal, -^voven fire fencing and tile.

The White family descends from old colonial ancestry, John White, a lifelong resident of New York state, was the father of Warren White, who was bom at Fort Edward, Washington county. New York, and in 1865 became a pioneer of Minnesota, settling on a tract of unimproved land in Sterling township, Blue Earth county. During the more than forty years that since have elapsed he has been identified with tJie agricultural development of the township and, although now eighty-four years of age, his interest in public affairs has not diminished nor has his progressive spirit waned. By his marriage to Emetine Bill, a native of Vermont, he became the father of five children, of whom Prank W. was fourth in order of birth, and was born in Onondaga county. New York, September 27, 1856. At the age of nine years he came with the family to Sterling township, where for a few years he attended the country schools, and later engaged in teaching school.

Upon starting out to earn an independent livelihood after he left the schoolroom, Mr. White engaged in the threshing business, and tlien bought land in Sterling township. Somewhat later he formed a partnership with John Moore at Amboy, but at the expiration of a year he sold out and returned to Sterling township. Twelve months passed in agricultural work, after which he again came to Amboy, where ever since he has been interested in the buying and selling of lumber and kindred lines. In June of 1886 he was united in marriage with Sarah E. Blair, was born in Delavan township, Blue Earth county, and is a daughter of Thomas Blair, one of the honored members of the Taylor colony of 1856. Born of their union are three children, Edna F., Agnes E. and Franlc L., who are being given the best advantages that the schools of Amboy afford and under the judicious training of their parents are being qualified for positions of honor and usefulness.

In every respect ]\[r. White has proved himself a progressive citizen. The prosperity of his town is of -\'ital interest to him. Its industries receive his encouraging support, its progressive merchants have his co-operation, and its schools and churches have never lacked his hearty sympath}-. In various capacities, as a member of the school board and of the township board, he has accomplished much of importance to the well-being of his community, and by all who know him the testimony is that he has done his full duty as a citizen. Some years ago he aided in promoting the Amboy State Bank and acted as president of the institution, which since has been merged into the Minnesota State Bank. Keen and discriminating in financial matters, cautious in investriients, wise in counsel and aggressive in action, he may be classed among those substantial men of commerce to whose enterprise the business development of the county may be attributed.

WIDELL, GENEEAL GUSTAF. - The opportunities which the northwest affords to young men of energy of purpose and determination of character find a fitting illustration in the life and achievements of General Widell, a successful business man of Mankato. Born at Lidkoping, Sweden, April 38, 1862, he was a youth of twenty years when he sought the advantages of the new world and settled in the northwest. Since then he has been identified with the history of Mankato. Coming here without means and friends, he accepted any work that was offered and for two years received the wages of a day laborer. While satisfied with the work as a stepping stone to better things, he was too ambitious to be content with the situation, and we find him in 1884 working in the McMullen quarry, where he made a careful study of the business. While many of the laborers emploj'ed there took little or no interest in their work, he strove to become skilled and aspired to acquire a knowledge sufficient to enable him to conduct a business of his own with success. During 1886 his brother Fred started in the stone quarry business and chose Gustaf as his foreman, later promoting him to be superintendent and finally, in 1894, rewarding him for his application by making him a partner in the business.

On the death of the brother in 1895 Gustaf Widell became the sole owner of the quarry and since then he has continued the business giving employment to several hundred men every year and securing many contracts for railway bridge substructures in southern ^linnesota, Nebraska, the northern part of Iowa and South Dakota. It would be difficult to overestimate the importance of the business. Many families are comfortably supported by the excellent wages paid to the skilled workmen, and more than one young man has received as an employe of the business his first start on the road to independence. Due credit should be given to Gustaf and Fred Widell, whose business acumen renders possible a business of sucli magnitude and whose rise from the position of day laborers proved them to possess sterling worth of character.

The marriage of Gustaf Widell took place September 21, 188G, and united him with Miss Clara E., daughter of Lewis S. Burt, of Lime township. They are the parents of five children, Nellie M., Carrie May, Eleanor C, Inez E., and Lewis G. Politically a Eepublican, Mr. Widell has served as a member of the common council of Mankato and has been a delegate to the national convention of the party. In 1900 he was appointed on the staff of the governor with the rank of colonel. Three years later he was promoted to be brigadier-general, and until 1907 he served as inspector-general. For eight years he officiated as a director of the Citizens National Bank and upon the organization of the library board of trustees he was chosen a member of the same. The Commercial Club also has received the benefit of his Iveen intelligence and civic pride. Fraternally he has been prominent in various organizations, and is an honorary member of Ravelins Post, G. A. E., in Minneapolis. The Knights of Pythias, Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, Ancient Order of United Workmen, Boyal Arcanum and Degree of Honor, number him among their members, and he has been especially influential in Masonry. The highest honor that can be conferred by the Masons in Minnesota came to him January 34, 1907, when in the city of St. Paul he was elected grand master of the grand lodge, and this position he now fills with distinction and efficiency.

WEIDENHEFT, HENRY C - The early years in the life of this well-known business man of Good Thunder were passed in Prussia, Germany, ii-here he was born December 14, 1837, and ^vhere he received an excellent education in his native language. Following a custom that was common to the country he was taken from school at the age of fourteen years in order that he might be apprenticed to a trade and during tlie ensuing years he labored diligently to acquire a knowledge of shoe-making. While still quite young he lost his father and mother by death and therefore was obliged to earn his own livelihood at a time when most boys are care-free. The experience was trying, yet a degree of self-reliance was thus developed that otherwise might not have become interwoven in his character.

After having worked as a journeyman in the old country for a number of years, in 1868 Mr. Weidenheft crossed the ocean to the United States and settled in Wisconsin, there following his trade for a time and also gaining some experience as a farmer. Three years were spent in Wisconsin, from which state he came to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, in 1871, and settled in Good Thunder, Lyra Township, where ever since he has made his home. Shortly after his arrival he opened a shop for the manufacture and repair of shoes and soon became known for skilled work in his specialty. During 1888, he became the proprietor of a general shoe store, which from the first proved a successful venture.

For a long period he had sole charge of the business, but in 1907 his sons, Gustavo A. and Otto J., assumed the management of the business, with which they had acquired a thorough familiarity through years of practical work and careful training.

The marriage of Mr. Weidenheft took place in 1865, in Germany, and united him with Miss Ida Heft, a native of that country. They are the parents of nine children, namely: Lena, who married F. C. Darge, a farmer by occupation and a mason by trade; Otto J., who married Mary Euwald; Herman; Martha, wife of Rev. F. Pasche, of Webster, South Dakota; Gustave A., who married Otteile Otjen and owns one-half interest in the shoe store; Mrs. Ida Zemke and Mrs. Clara Otjen, both of whom married ministers, the former living at Fairmont, Minnesota; Elsie, wife of Frederick Bruscke; and Anna, who is employed as a clerk in the shoe store operated by her brothers. Since his retirement from business Mr. Weidenheft has superintended his farm of thirty-six and one-half acres in Lyra township and also has devoted considerable time to the supervision of the residence he has erected in the village. In religion he always has remained faithful to the doctrines of the Lutheran faith, in which he was reared and to which he has been a liberal contributor. After coming to the United States he affiliated with the Eepublicans for a time, but more recently he has been stanch in his advocacy of Democratic principles and has cast his ballot for the men and measures of the last named party.

WIGLBY, WILLIAM W. - Nearly fifty years have come and gone since Mr. Wigley was born in the township of Judson and through all of his life he has remained a resident of Blue Earth county, attending its schools , in boyhood years, taking up the duties of patriotic citizenship with the advent of manhood, laboring to promote its agricultural prosperity and proving himself to be loyal in every respect to its material, educational and moral welfare. Around his early years there cluster memories of the struggles incident to a pioneer existence, while in his later days it has been his happy privilege to witness the increasing prosperity of the people, the introduction of the comforts connected with the highest civilization, the building of substantial schools and churches, and the improving of valuable farms, in all of which work he has been a permanent factor.

During the year 1857 there came to the United States Eichard^'and Marry (Williams) Wigley, natives of Wales and descendants of ancient families of that country. A year after crossing the ocean they settled in Minnesota, where they endured all the vicissitudes incident to frontier life and the building up of a homestead from the primeval soil. Indians were numerous in those days and more than once the family were in the greatest peril from attack by the savages. Hunger, too, was an enemy that often invaded their cabin on the frontier, and during one year they had little for their table besides corn bread and the game that fell beneath the hunter's gun. From such homes as these have come men and women of self-reliance, fortitude and courage, and the traits noticeable in the character of William W. Wigley are in part due to his brave battling against early privations. The second among eleven children, he was born April 13, 1859, and at an early age began to assist his father in the support of the younger children. It was not possible for him to attend school regularly,, yet he managed to gain a common school education and by subsequent reading became a well-informed man. Ecared to a thorough knowledge of farm work and possessing a fondness, for the same, it is not strange that he chose agriculture for his occupation and always has followed such pursuits, having remained on his present farm at Lake Crystal for about twenty years.

While devoting his attention closely to the care of his , land and the raising of stock, Mr. Wigley has not neglected his duties as a citizen, but always has been found ready to give aid to measures for the benefit of the community. For several terms he served as a member of the town board, in which capacity he gave his support to movements calculated to enhance the local prosperity ^ilthout unduly assessing the taxpayers. The public highways received his careful supervision while he was acting in the office of road commissioner, and he has always been solicitous to secure the best possible roads in the township. Calvinistic doctrines express his religious views, but he displays no sectarian bias and ever concedes to others that freedom of religious opinions which he demands for himself. His family consists of two sons, born of his marriage in 1886 to Miss Jane Jones, a native of this state and a lifelong resident of this part of the country. Both enjoy the esteem of acquaintances and the respect of all who have come within the circle of their influence during their long residence in their present neighborhood.

WILDEE, EMMETT P - Agriculture is the principal industry in Blue Earth county and no portion thereof boasts of better farm land than does Pleasant Mound township, where Mr. Wilder owns and occupies a homestead of one hundred and sixty acres. The beauty of the place is enhanced by n grove of native timber consisting of black walnut, oak and basswood. Willow creek runs through the farm and affords abundant facilities for watering the stock. The residence is neat in its appointments and attractive in interior finishings, while the barns are substantial and well equipped for their purposes. Modem methods are utilized on the farm, proof of which is furnished by the presence of a gasoline engine used for pumping. The high-grade stock to be seen on the place include Durham cattle, Poland-Chiga hogs and Hambletonian horses.

The Wilder family comes of old colonial stock. Eiee Wilder, a native of Vermont, went to New York in early life and for many years continued in that state as a farmer. Eventually he came to Minnesota and spent his remaining days in Pleasant Mound township, Blue Earth county, where he passed away in 1878 at the age of eighty-seven years. John E., son of Bice, was born in N"ew York and married Lucy J. Clark, also a native of that state. During the latter part of the '50s he removed to Wisconsin and took up a tract of raw land, which he transformed into a productive farm. The autumn of 1866 found him a pioneer in Ceresco township, Blue Earth county, where he remained for eighteen months. From there he came to Pleasant Mound tofl-nship and settled on section thirteen, where he passed the balance of his life, dying June 27, 1893. A man of public spirit, he always maintained an interest in local affairs and for seven years served as a town officer, beside which he held the office of school treasurer for eighteen years. During the latter part of his life he was a member of the christian church.

In a family comprising three sons and three daughters, Emmett P. Wilder was the youngest son, and his birth occurred in Green Lake county, Wisconsin, April 2, 1863. In early childhood he was brought to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, where he acquired a common-school education and gained a practical knowledge of agricultural pursuits. As soon as old enough he relieved his father of much of the manual work connected with the management of the land and gradually assumed the entire charge, so that upon the death of his father there was no change in the cultivation of the estate. May 20, 1885, he married Annie M. Hewson, who was born in Wisconsin, and at an early age came to Minnesota with her father, Joseph Hewson, settling in Shelby township. Since the retirement of Mr. Hewson from farming he has made his home with his son-in-law, Mr. Wilder. There are three children in the Wilder family, namely : Fern, John Poland and Fay, all of whom are at home. The family hold membership in the Christian church and Mr. AVilder has been a regular contributor to its maintenance. For ten years he has held office as town clerk and for iifteen years he served as school treasurer, meanwhile doing all within his po^er to promote the usefulness of the schools and the general prosperity of the township.

WILDES, MAKK L. - Travels through various parts of the country, prior to settling permanently in Minnesota, gave Mr. Wildes an insight into conditions agricultural and commercial, and enabled him to form a careful estimate of soils, prospects and environments such as would have been impossible to a less experienced man. Many years have come and gone since he arrived in Blue Earth county. Towns have sprung into existence, farms have been laid out and developed, roads have been opened, forests have been cut down, and highways of commerce have opened to the people new possibilities. In all of this advance he has been an interested witness and to it he has contributed of his energy, acumen and intelligence. Great credit, belongs to the pioneers of the county for its present high agricultural standing and the names of the early settlers are worthy of a permanent place in the annals of the region.

The family records show that the name of Wildes has been identiiied with the history of Few England ever since the colonial era. During the eighteenth century the family flourished in Maine, where in 1799 William Wildes was born in what is now the county of Sagadahoc. During early manhood he settled on a farm in Lincoln county, Maine, where he married Lydia Little, born in that county in 1797, and from the time of marriage until death they remained residents of Sagadahoc county. Of their seven children the sole survivor is Mark L. Wildes, who was born April 6, 1828, in what is now the township of Phippsburg, county of Sagadahoc, Maine. The schools of his boyhood were far inferior to those of the present day, yet he received a fair education and is a well-informed man. After attending Bath academy for a time he became a student in the Litchfield Liberal Institute, where he availed himself of the excellent . opportunities for mental training.

A period devoted to school-teaching in Maine was followed by a trip in 1850 to what was then called the west. The impelling motive for the expedition was a desire to reach the gold-fields of California, but by the time he had arrived in New Orleans, going then by ship, unsatisfactory reports reached his parents, regarding delays and yellow fever, so after solicitations from home tn return he yielded, but upon reaching Kentucky and learning their desire for a northern teacher in their public schools he made application to Dr. E. J. Brcckenridge, the superintendent, who employed him in Scott county where he taught till the spring of 1851, when he went home to engage in the lumber business with his father and brother. April of 1860, found him landed at Lake Washington, Le Sueur county, where he secured em- ployment. During the spring of 1863 he came to Lime, Blue Earth county and shortly afterward enlisted as a sergeant in Company B, Minnesota Mounted Rangers, in which he remained until the mustering out of the company. He was on duty at Mankato at the execution of the 38 Sioux Indians. On his return to Minnesota from the field of service he resumed teaching school and for some years ranked among the best educators of his locality, but eventually he relinquished teaching in order to devote himself to agricultural pursuits. In 1865, he married Miss Rebecca J. Burke, who was born in Baltimore, Md., and died in 1898. After his marriage he made his home near Lake Washington, but some time during 1880 he moved to Lime township. Blue Earth county, and since then has made his home on section twentythree. E'ght children were born of his marriage, namely : William F., Hattie R., Anna L. (deceased), Mark L., Samuel H. M., Sarah B., Nettie L. and Grace M. Politically Mr. Wildes gives his vote and influence to the Democratic party. In social circles he is respected by all and with his family has an assured position among the best people of the township.

]\[r. Wildes was the first County Superintendent of Schools in LeSueur Count)', was also County Commissioner, and chairman of the Board. He has taught school at various times and places forty years, practiced Dental Surgery gratuitously, sixty years, was justice of the peace twenty years, and has held town offices in both Washington and Lime towns.

WILL, DAVID. - Five miles cast of Mapleton lies one of the finely-improved farms of Blue Earth county. Its thrifty appearance bears testimony to the industry of the owner, David Will, to whose energy and ambition is due the transformation of the land from its primeval wilderness to its present state of cultivation. When this section of the country was beginning to attract the attention of men seeking homes in the northwest, he came hither in 1865 and purchased a homestead lying on section 31, Medo township. However, it was not until seven years later that he brought his family to the state and began life amid pioneer conditions. To the original property he has added until he now owns a farm of three hundred and sixty-five acres, all practically under cultivation. The Big Cobb river runs through the farm and the land being considerably above the level of the river the matter of drainage finds a ready solution. The elevation of the land is such that the higher buildings of Mapleton are visible, in spite of the distance intervening. A substantial two-story residence provides the family with a comfortable home, while they also find enjoyment in owning an orchard of apples, plums, and other fruits. Stock of the best grades are to be seen grazing in the pastures, and it is noticeable that the owner's favorites are Shorthorn cattle, Percheron horses and Poland- China hogs.

A glimpse into the genealogy of the Will family takes us back to Scotland, where years ago David Will followed the carpenter's trade. This occupation he taught to his son, David, who remained in Scotland until death and always followed carpentering. Born of his union with Ann West were six children, of whom the third was given the name of David, and was bom in Dundee, Scotland, February 17, 1836. It is of this David Will we write. When he had reached man's estate and sought a home and means of livelihood, he decided to come to America. Accordingly during 1856 he became a resident of Wisconsin and in due time established a position among the farmers of Waukesha county, where he remained until his removal to Minnesota.

The marriage of David Will and Elizabeth Mehdlle was solemnized October 37, 1859, in Wisconsin. lyfrs. Will was bom in Perthshire, Scotland, and during the '40s accompanied her father, Peter Melville, to Wisconsin, settling near the town of Lisbon, where her father passed his life in, farm pursuits. While Mr. and Mrs. Will have met with a gratifying degree of success financially, they are far more proud of their children than of any financial success they may have achieved. Their eldest son, James, is a progressive farmer of Bcauford township. Blue Earth county. The second son, David, is also a farmer and lives in Polk county, Minnesota. The only daughter, Elizabeth, married Charles

Btogeaphical History

Ellis and makes her home in Mapleton. John follows ranching in Idaho. Edward settled in Polk count}', this state, where he carries on a farm. Charles remains at the old homestead and aids in its cultivation. Peter went to Grant count}', Minnesota, and took up land, which he still operates. Alexander lives at Grand Forks, Xorth Dakota, where he is employed by the federal government in the postoffice. William, a graduate of the medical department of the University of Minnesota, has built up a growing practice at Bertha, Todd county, Minnesota; May 14, 1907, he was united in marriage with a daughter of Dr. Ira Bishop, of Mapleton. Melville is now a student in the dental department of the Minnesota State University, and Eobert, the youngest of the large family, still remains with his parents.

Loyal to the interests of his adopted country, David Will has taken an active part in local affairs, has contributed to enterprises for the common good, and has proved himself to be a lawabiding and patriotic citizen. Especially has he been interested in educational work. Projects for the upbuilding of the free schools and the extension of their usefulness find him to be a cooperating friend, and for many years he served as a member of the school board. For five years he was a member of the township board of trustees. Personally he possesses a cheerful, optimistic disposition. The trials and shadows incident to life on the frontier did not daunt his courage nor lessen his faith in the over-ruling providence of God and the sympathy of his fellowmen. When the Burns society was organized he was deeply interested in the movement and became a regular attendant at its meetings. On the occasion of its annual reunions it was the custom to call upon him for the song, 'Tlantin' Eovin' Eobin," which he rendered to the delight of all. This sturdy Scotsman stands among the most honored farmers of his county and enjoys the warm friendship of a large circle of acquaintances.

WILL, JAMES. - Inheriting the iron of honesty and determination from worthy ancestors, and profiting by a capacity for hard work intelligently directed, James Will has prospered ill his affairs, and has advanced from a comparatively poor country school boy to a man whose opinion carries unquestioned weight in the community of Beauford township, and whose financial standing is indicated by the possession of a farm of three hundred and ten acres one and a half miles north of Mapleton. Mr. Will came to his present home in the fall of 1890, and then as now it was known, as the James Gilmore farm. To the improvements of the fc^rmer owner he has added very materially, and not only has become known as a progressive and successful general farmer, but he raises as fine Percheron horses. Shorthorn cattle, and Poland Cliina hogs as are to be found anywhere in Blue Earth county. In his specialty of stock raising he wields a broad influence, and his manner of and facilities for caring for his dumb charges represent the height of consideration and humanity.

Mr. Will was born in Waukesha county, Wisconsin, July 28, 1860, and is a son of David Will, mention of whom may be found elsewhere in this work. He was educated primarily, in the public schools of Wisconsin, and at the age of twelve years, in 1872, removed with the family to Blue Earth county, remaining on the place purchased by his father until 1884. Desiring to identify his fortunes with another part of the state, he went to the vicinity of Grand Forks, in the northern part, and remained there engaged in general farming for three years. In the fall of 1887 he returned to the old place in Blue Earth county, and in 1890, as heretofore stated, purchased his present farm. Encouraged by the success of two profitable years, September 28, 1892, he was united in marriage to Jeanette Ellis, a native of Sterling township, Blue Earth county, and daughter of James Ellis, an early settler of this part of Minnesota. To Mr. and Mrs. Will have been born four children: Mary, David, Euth and Lawrence. Since casting his first presidential vote Mr. Will has subscribed to Eepublican principles, and he has promoted the general well being by serving as a member of the board of education and town clerk, both of which positions he is holding at the present time. He is an energetic, progreg-

WILLARD, JOHN A. - Born near Holland Patent, Oneida county, New York, November 9, 1833, John A. Willard was of English ancestry, and a son of Daniel S. and Catherine (Williams) Willard. Studiously inclined from early youtn, possessed of fine intellectual powers, and with but limited means with which to acquire the higher branches, Mr. Willard turned his attention to school teaching during, his later teens, and thus was enabled also to qualify for nia chosen profession of law at Utica, New York. After being admitted to practice at the bar of New York state in 1855, he sought a field of endeavor in the less settled and more promising northwest, arriving in Mankato during July, 1856, and thereafter devoting his energies to the practice of law and the purchase and sale of real estate. June 1, 1858, he formed a partnership with S. F. Barney.

About 1870 Mr. Willard became interested in railroad promotion, and was president of the company that built the railroad from Manlcato to Wells, now a part of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul system. Forming a partnership with R. D. Hubbard and James B. Hubbell, in IBTv! he organized the Mankato Linseed Oil Company. As- the years passed, other enterprises engaged his attention, including the Mankato Novelty Works, the Standard Fibre Ware Company, the Jtankato Knitting Mills, and the St. Paul White Lead & Oil Company. Notwithstanding his varied interests, he continually sought new outlets for his remarkable energies, and it was not strange that, having worked his way up from small beginnings to a foremost place among the community's accumulators as well as investors and promoters, he should turn his attention towards the need of local banking facilities. Thus he became one of the founders of the First National Bank, which entered upon its successful history May 4, 1868, with a capitalization of $60,000. Of this institution Mr. Willard was president from 1878 until 1896, resigning therefrom because of ill health. In addition, he was president of the National Bank of Commerce, at Duluth, president of the Granite Falls Bank, and president and director of many otlier corporations in this part of the state.

Realizing that Duluth held great municipal possibilities by reason of affording an outlet to the lakes for the shipment of the grain of the northwest, as early as 1885 Mr. Willard invested heavily in that town, and later years brought him large benefit from these wise and timely investments. He was first of all interested in his home town of Mankato, however; its welfare ever was dear to his heart, and its growth ever was a source of pride and delight to him. For many years he was president of its board of trade, and since his passing on, it often has been said that no one other man did more for the permanent upbuilding of the city during his forty years of residence here. In recognition of his local devotion he was chosen mayor by unanimous vote in 1891, all parties agreeing that nu one was better qualified to further home interests than he. Had he cared for such responsibility other and higher honors would have been conferred upon him, but his mind was concentrated upon business rather than politics, and partisan affairs held little attraction for him.

When, with thousands of others, Mr. Willard fell a victim to the memorable panic of 1893, hij business obligations preyed heavily upon his mind, and ia the maelstrom of effort to discharge the indebtedness that keenly affected his high sense of honor, he died December 15, 1897. The effect of his personal integrity and tireless energy still is felt in the business and general history of Mankato, and over its present fortunes still broods somewhat of his zeal, devotion and faith, ilr. Willard was the parent of seven children, three of whom survive him. His marriage with Anna M. Sibley, of Oneida county, Xew York, occurred August 23, 1865, Mrs. Willard being- a daughter of R. J. Sibley, with whom she came to JIankato at an early day.

WILLARD, MYRON G. - To an unusual degree the city of Mankato has been fortunate in having a citizenship composed of progressive, public-spirited men, whose abilities have been enlisted in behalf of civic improvements, whose sj^mpathies are on the side of beneficial enterprises, and vi^hose time has been given unreservedly' to the development of the local v?elfare. J^umbered among these citizens may be mentioned Myron G. Willard, whose identification with the city as an attorney and as a man of large commercial interests has been helpful to the growth of his adopted town. The date of his arrival in Manliato, December 1, 18()8, marked his association with the vital interests of the growing place, and from that time to this he has been regarded as a man .of talent, commercial acumen and genial social qualities. While life has not been without its misfortunes, he has weathered every financial storm and has won an important standing financially among the people with whom he has had years of association.

The ancestry of the Willard family is traced to Captain Simon Willard, a seafaring man who settled in ISTew England in 1664. Myron G. Willard was born at Trenton, Oneida county, New York, October 23, 1842, being a son of Daniel S. and Catherine (Williams) Willard. During the uneventful years of boyhood he remained on the home farm and attended country schools. Later he became a student in Whitestown seminary and still later had the advantage of taliing the regular classical course in Hamilton college, from which institution he v.'as graduated with high honors in 1868. Three years afterward he received the degree of Master of Arts from his alma mater.

During the progress of his literary studies Mr. Willard had carried on a special law course and after leaving college he completed his studies in the law office of Senator Francis Keman at Utica, New York. During October of the same year (1868) he was admitted to practice in all the courts of New York, having passed a successful examination at Syracuse. The other members of the family had preceded .him to the northwest and during the latter part of 1868 he Joined them at Mankato, Minnesota, where on tbe day of his arrival he was admitted to practice in all the courts of the state. Opening an office he became successful in corporation and real estate law, in which lines he was regarded as an authority. For a time he was associated

In the fall of 1885 Mr. Willard gave up his law practice in order to embark in the manufacturing business. AYith his brother, John A. Willard, he built and equipped a plant for the manufacture of fiber ware, and became manager of the business, which was incorporated under the title of the Standard Fiber Ware Company. During 1892 he became associated with the erection of a plant for the manufacture of hosiery, operated as the Mankato knitting mills. The plant had scarcely received its equipment when the financial depression began and the infant industry was ill-fitted to withstand the storms that brought bankruptcy to many old and substantial concerns throughout the entire country. However, it weathered the storms until 1897, when the plant for knitting as well as that for the manufacture of fiber ware suffered the fate incident to financial panics. However, within one year the mills had been started again with W. L. Hixon as president and Mr. Willard as superintendent, and from that time the plant enjoyed a growing business along the line of its specialties. Mr. Willard sold out his interest and retired from the business in the fall of 1903 and is now engaged in the real estate, insurance, loan and investraent business.

The first marriage of Mr. Willard took place in 1870 and united him with Miss Julia E. Knowlton, of Holland Patent, New York, who died in July of 1876. Three years later he married Mary W. Willard, of Holland Patent, a niece of the late General H. W. Halleck. Two children were born of his first marriage, both of whom are sons, namely : Charles K., formerly manager of the Mankato Citizens Telephone company, but at present engaged in the manufacture of brick, tile and building blocks at Heron Lake, Minnesota; and Elldns C, formerly assistant manager of the Mankato Mills Company, is at present proprietor of a chicken ranch near Mankato, known as "West Lawn Farm." A daughter, Clara E., was born of the second marriage. The family hold membership with the Presbyterian church of Mankato, in which Mr. WiUard has officiated as a ruling elder for thirty years or more, and of whose Sunday school he served as superintendent for thirteen years. It has been Mr. Willard's aim to aid all movements for the material, educational and commercial upbuilding of his home city, and while serving as secretary of the Board of Trade he was able to be especially helpful to the town, although in the capacity of a pri\ate citizen his work has been no less advantageous to local interests, and his ambition constantly has been to arouse an interest in securing for the city more railroads and more factories, for he realizes that upon these two depends the ultimate prosperity and permanent growth of the population. An everlasting monument to Mr. Willard was his beautifying the park and boulevard system and giving to the city "Willard Park-Way," lying adjacent to and abutting either side of Glenwood avenue lor about half a mile.

WILLAED, WILLIAM D. - The second generation of the Willard family in Mankato iu forcefully represented by William D. Willard, cashier of the Pirst National Bank, and sou of John A. Willard, the latter of whom arrived ill this community during the summer of 185G, and for forty years was one of its foremost citizens and promoters. Because of the success of his father, the youth of William D. Willard was not characterized by the hardship which tested the mettle of the older man. His education was gained with less difficulty, and after finishing the training in the public schools he graduated from the University of Minnesota in the class of 1888.