Faribault County, Minnesota - Chapter 18: Rome Township, 1896

Chapter 18: Rome Township

The United States government in its ofiBcial land sui-veys, numbers this township one hundred and one (101) north, of range twenty-six (2()) west, of the principal meridian.

The surface of the town has an avorage elevation of eleven hundred and sixty feet above the level of tide water, and the depth of the drift here is doubtless over one hundred feet to bed rock. Yet this fact has never been determined accurately, either by deep wells or otherwise. The surface is slightly undulating, or rolling prairie, well adapted to farming, grazing and stock raising. The soil is very fertile and all crops which can be raised in the northwest, can be successfully grown here. There is no native timber in the town, but there are many and large artificial groves of forest trees, and more being constantly added. Coon ci'eek heads in this town, and this with several slough rivulets, are the only water courses in the town. Good well water is obtained in abundance, at moderate depths.

The First Settlement

The first permanent settler of this township was Ole Nelson (Hauge) who settled upon and claimed the northeast quarter of section three (3) early in March, 1863. Mr. Nelson was born in Norway. He emigrated to the United States and first settled in Dane county, Wisconsin. He subsequently removed to this county, locacating in the town of Emerald, where he resided several years, and then removed to Rome, as above stated. Mr. Nelson has always been a farmer by occupation.

AmonK those who are entitled to the name of old settlers of Rome, and who were residents of the town in 1868 or prior thereto, we record the names of Fred Everton, T. J. Everton, L. Rogers, H. Cordell, J. II. Stubbs, D. Coyle, A. Bartlett, L. II. Ames, K. Peterson, Nels Thompson, George Rartlett, L. Kallostadt, L. Edson, John Emerson, C. Xing, W. D. Clark, Wm. Sterrett, John Sterrett, W. G. Clark, L. K. Wondwick, C. Nelson, H. Thompson, O. E. Legwold, Stephenson Iverson, Flo. Simeon Hess, J.Klareweter, VV. Tolliver, Eric Amundson, II. Ilalverson, P. Larson, A. Mickelson, A. Rasmusson, L. Sieverson, Jas. Patterson, Wm. Oelke, (). H. Littlefleld, Philip Maglouglln.

The Name

This tovrn was first called "Campbell," by the special commissioners, in 1858, in honor of one James Campbell, who, by the way, was never a resident of this town, but was one of the first settlers in Elmore township. The writer has been unable to learn that "Old Jimmy," as Mr. Campbell was usually called, was ever distinguished for anything special, except that he was a smooth talking, plausible, old Scotch-Irishman, and was skilled in "swappin' hoses, "and turned an honest penny in that way, occasionally. He left this country many years ago, and his present place of residence is unknown to the writer.

The town was attached, by the special commissioners, to Elmore, for civil purposes, and so remained until the January session of the county board, in 1868, when it was detached, and the name of the town was changed to "Grant," in honor of Gen. U. S. Grant. But it soon appeared that there was another town in the State, of the same name, and the State auditor directed the name to be changed again, which was done at the session of the county board, in March, 1868, and the town named "Rome," its present name.

Some persons have said that the town was named in honor of old Pagan Rome, once the mistress of the world, others that ecclesiastical Rome, the head of the church, was intended to be honored, but, the fact is, that the town was named for the city of Rome, in the state of New York, and the name was suggested by Fred Everton, who, though not the first, was the second settler in the town, and for many consecutive years, from its organization, was chairman of the town board.

The name Rome, as a designation of a locality, is undoubtedly more universally known, among men, than any other name in use at present, or any other to be found in history. There are some twenty cities, villages and postofiices, in the United States, of this name, and then there is the never to be forgotten, old Rome, on the Tiber - "The Eternal City."

Organic

When the town was set off as a separate town, the county board directed an election for town officers to be held on the twentyeighth day of January, 1868, but a severe storm prevented the holding of this election. The first election was held on the second day of March, of that year, at which officers were chosen, but there was another election held for town officers, which occurred on the eighth day of April, following, at which most of the same persons were chosen, as at the prior election. The second election was rendered necessary because of some irregularities in the first.

Supervisors, Fred Evcrton, chairman, T. J. Everton and Geo. Bartlett: town clerk, W. J. Cordill; treasurer, 8. H. Stubbs; assessor, D. Coyle; justices of the peace, Wni. Burton and K. Peterson; constables, L. Edson and J.Enarson.

Educational

The first school house erected in this town was built in 1870 near the farm of Wm. Sterrett. It is a good substantial frame building and is known as "the Sterrett school house." The Hess school house is over the line, and in Elmore, and was erected by a joint school district, composed of territory taken from both Rome and Elmore. This house was erected before the Sterrett school house. There are now three school houses in the town. It is said that a Miss Tolliver taught the first school.

Religious

The United Presbyterians established a society here at a very early day, and have had. for many years, a resident minister. This congregation worshiped, for many years, at the Sterrett school house. The Norwegian Lutherans have also had public worship in this town for many years past.

Sundry Incidents

An act was passed by the State Legislature in 1868. to provide for the payment of certain taxes by the town of Grant, in Faribault county, which enacted that the said town "which was detached from the town of Elmore * * shall be and is hereby declared to be liable to pay the same proportion of the tax thereafter necessary to be levied for the payment of the bounties offered by the said town to the volunteers of the late war. as would have been the case had the said town of Grant remained without a separate and independent organization." The town had been set off in .January 1868, and the purport of this act is plain.

In 1870. the town, together with Elmore, was sued on military bounty bonds, issued when the town was attached to Elmore. Judgment was entered against the two towns for ^1.421. and costs, a proportionate share of which was paid by this town, and also of another judgment against Elmore alone, for ^809. The matter is more fully recited in the history of Elmore township.

The people of Rome have suffered severely, many times, from destructive prairie fires, which have swept over the country. References thereto will be found in the general history of the county. That of August, 1874, was very disastrous to many.

The town has frequently voted to aid in the building of railroads, but without effect, until the last vote taken, wliich secured a road to Blue Earth City, and thence southward.

In 1870, the town voted $8,000 in bonds to the Burlington, C. R. and M. R. R. Company, to build a road from Mason City, Iowa, to Blue Earth City, which, if it had been built, would have given the town a depot, but the project proved a failure.

Up to the close of this history, the town has furnished to the public service a member of the board of county commissioners, L. K. Woodwick.

When the census of 1860 was taken, there were no inliabitants in Rome township. At the census of 1865 the town was attached to Elmore, and its inhabitants were enumerated with that town.

By the census of 1870 there were 396 souls in the town, and in 1875, 458; in 1880, 504. The residents of this town are Americans, Germans, Scotch and Norwegians, the latter nationality largely predominating.

The assessed value of real estate that year was, $117,787. The assessed value of personal property that year was, $22,015. Total, $139,802. The total tax assessed thereon was $1,584.32.

The agricultural products of the same year were as follows: Wheat, 27,000 bushels; oats, 26,000 bushels; corn, 12,000 bushels; barley. 1,300 bushels; potatoes, 1,700 bushels: sorgum syrup, 700 gallons; flaxseed, 590 bushels; wool 1,482 pounds; butter, 31,000 pounds. Total acreage cultivated, 3,400.

In addition to the names of early settlers in this town, already given, there is here added a further list of residents, prior to the close of 1879. All, however, may not be named:

J. Anderson, A. Amundson, T. Atlakson, E. Amundson, P. Berg, A. L. Brakke, A. B. Balcom, E. A. Brownlee, W. J. Cordell, Curtis Dolliver, Fones Dolliver, C. Dalsing, S. Erdahal, L. Erdahl, R. M. Erdahl,C. A. Erdahl, A. O. Egness, Iver K. Floe, J. C. Foster, J. A. Fibelstad, S. Gerke, O. Hemmingson, J. Hemmingson, H. Halverson, E. Halverson, A. Ingebretson, O. Jacobson, K. Johnson, A. Johnson, L. A. Kallestadt, C. A. Kallestadt, P. Knudtson, P. Larson, C. II. Littlefleld, S. Lovass, H. E. Legvold, O. J. Legrid, A. Mikkleson, T. Mikkleson, A. Markesan, O. M. Mehl, 0. O. Mehl, P. F. Mundale, Philip Maglouglin, S. O. Norton, O. Nilson, J. Nilson, G. Nilson, L. Oelke, Wm. Oelke, O. Oleson, L. A. Olson, Ole Olson, A. Oleson, Ole Peterson, C. W. Quiggle, O. J. Quam, R. M. Robertson, A. Rasmusson, L. Seivertson, O. Sjorson, J.K. Starrett, H. Simanson, O. O. Steene, T. Thorson, T. Torgerson, Neils G. Thompson, H. Thompson, R. J. Underdahl, O. J. Weberg, Ludwig Willmert, G. Willmert, W. Willmert,