Freeborn County, Minnesota - Chapter 6: The First Settlers, 1911

Chapter 6: The First Settlers

Ole Colbjornson Livdahlen Arrives and Settles in Shell Rock Township - Other Pioneers of 1855 - Geneva Lake and Valley of the Turtle - Lake Albert Lea - Valley of the Shell Rock - Freeborn Lake - Albert Lea Started - Influx of Settlement Begins - Copies from the Land Office Records.

The first settler within the present limits of Freeborn county, of whom any record has been left, was Ole Colbjornson Liv¬ dahlen, better known to the early settlers as Ole Gnlbrandson. The old pioneers are generally agreed that this settler came with his family and settled in section 33, town of Shell Rock, in the spring of 1853.

In 1854 the county was surveyed and the township, range and section lines staked. The spring of 1855 dawned with but one settler within the present limits of Freeborn county. A. D. Pinkerton, an early Minnesota pioneer, and hunter, accompanied the 1854 surveyors ; and in the spring of 1855, he made the state¬ ment on the streets of Austin, that from a point a few miles west of the Cedar to a point a few miles east of the Blue Earth, and from the Iowa line, thirty miles north, there was but one settler ; and that one man named Gulbrandson, who had settled on a section which was the first section north of the Iowa state line. Very early in the spring of 1855, Milton Morey settled on the shores of Lake Geneva, and then went back east after his family.

On his way east he met Nathaniel Hunt, who in May of that year came into Moscow township from Austin, and settled in the timbered valley of Turtle creek. The day after he settled, there arrived a party of pioneers consisting of Robert Speer with wife and three children, Thomas R. Morgan with his young brother, David, and Thomas Ellis with a wife and two children. This party also- settled in Moscow and the little colony was joined in July by James Bush with wife and two children, John G. Dunning and wife and James Dunning with wife and a child. Seymour Saxton came to Moscow this year and stayed for a time, as did Hanibal Bickford, who later located in the north¬ western part of the county. In July Evan Morgan, father of Thomas R. Morgan, came and settled in the same locality, bring-

About the same time, .John T. Asher settled in London Town¬ ship, and the Carpenters, Bullocks and Budlongs come to the oak openings in this town and in Oakland. It should be explained that the Moscow, Oakland and London settlers came here by way of the Cedar river, and settled in the country tributary to Austin, which even at that early day gave promise of being a flourishing hamlet.

It has been said that William and James Madison Rice visited Freeborn county in 1854. In the spring of 1855 they settled near Glenville, bringing with them Gardner Cottrell, George Gardner and Charles T. Knapp, as well as Betsey Knapp, who later mar¬ ried James Madison Rice. In 1855, William and Oliver Andrews also settled near Glenville, and some time during the year a few

In June, Lorenzo Merry arrived in Albert Lea; and a month later came George S. Ruble, who in the fall brought his family and seAreral Avorkmen. Charles C. Colln^ Avith some of his sisters and Bethuel Lilly and Avife also settled near Albert Lea that year.

It has also been alleged that during this year John Stanley settled in Avhat is uoav Shell Rock toAvnsliip; Jacob Hostetter, John Oldinghouse (Olenhouse) and Oliver Diamond, in Freeman tOAA'nsliip ; and A. D. Pinkham and Charles and William Wilder (Weilder) on Pickerel lake. It is also possible that Robert H. Miller, Hanibal Bickford, Elias Stanton and Theodore L. Carlson Avere on Freeborn lake in Carlston during this year. There Avas also a NorAvegian settlement in Bancroft and at Red Oak GroA^e.

This list probably includes all of the settlers of 1855. Aside from the habitations which these scattering pioneers erected, the country remained practically an unbroken Avilderness until the spring of 1856, in which year the real influx of settlement began.

Land Office Records

The land office records, giving the date upon which title Avas secured from the gOA7ernment, to every piece of land in Freeborn county, are an invaluable aid in ascertaining the names which Avere connected with the history of the county in the early days. All who secured land by pre-emption Avere compelled, supported by a Avitness, to swear to the gOATernment officials that they had been on their land a certain time, that they had erected a habitation, and that they had broken a certain amount of land. In many instances deliberate fraud Avas used, and some of the names which appear as early pre-emptors Avere those of specula¬ tors or money lenders avIio neA^er saAv Freeborn county. In other cases transients, humble employees or even hunters were en¬ gaged at a miserably small stipend to make some sort of pretense of occupying land, and then turn over their title to those who hired them. Some of those who honestly proved up, left in a short time, and made no impress on the life of the community. Many of the names which appear on these land office records, however, are those of genuine pioneers who remained and took a part in the progress of the county, some of their land remain¬ ing in the possession of themselves or their families to the present day.

The records are becoming faint, and the writing is often difficult to decipher. Then, too, the names are often carelessly and. incorrectly recorded. In the following list the spelling of the records is faithfully followed, even though it sometimes differs from the present day rendering of the various names. In the list of the very earliest pre-emptors, which is herewith appended, the number of the section, the name of the claimant and the date the title to the land was secured are given in con¬ secutive order under each township. In case the same person proved up on land in two different sections, the first section recorded is here given.

Shell Rock. Township 101, range 20. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1855. Those who secured land that year were : 4 - Clark Andrews, November 3. 5 - Wm. Andrews, November 3. Those who secured land in 1856 were: 5 - Elijah Young, Jr., November 14; Robert Bradley, December 23; Geo. Gardner, June 16. 6 - Alfred Norst, October 17 ; James Andrews, July 26 ; Almon H. Cottrell, November 14 ; Elias Cady, August 15 ; John W. Smith, November 1. 7 - Sanders Brannan, November

Freeman Township 101, range 21. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were: 1 - Jacob Ilostetter, Jr., June 19; John W. Smith, November 1. 12 - Sanders Brannan, September 16. Those who

Mansfield Township 101, range 23. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1860. Those who proved up that year were : 8 - Henry Tunell, October 23 ; John Tunell, October 23. 15 - Nichols Stenaldson, October 25. The one who secured land in 1861 was, 7 - Oliver M. Cross, September 27. The one who secured land in 1862 was, 2 - John Buchanan, June 25. The one who secured land in 1863 was, 10 - Ilenrv Smith, May 26. It should be understood that the settlements were made in this town some time before any claims were proved up.

Oakland Township 102, range 19. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were: 1 - Daniel Ostrander, October 10. 2 - Wm. P. Pelton, September 8. 3 - John Lyhttey, Jr., December 13. 4 - Joel L.

Hayward Township 102, range 20. The first claim in this tovmship was proven up in 1855. The one who took land that year was, 20 - Samuel H. Conley, August 31. Those who secured land in 1856 were: 6 - Geo. A. Watrous, November 26. 8 -

Albert Lea Tovmship 102, range 21. The first claims in this township was proven up in 1856. The ones who took land that year were : 1 - Henry Wheeler, November 18. 2 - Geo. W. Clemmen, August 6 ; Horatio Allen, September 26. 3 - Hugh Clark,

Pickerel Lake Tovmship 102, range 22. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were : 1 - Christian J. Steves, December 23. 12 - Chas. W. Wilder, May 3 ; John IT. Snyder, September 26 ; Jared T. Dart, July 12; Asa W. White, July 12. 13 - Halvor Olson, December

November 5. Those who secured land in 1857 were: 1 - Julius E. AVood, November 19. 2 - Geo. Holbrook, November 6 ; Henry Chambers, August 29; AY in. C. Lamore, October 16; AYarren Williams, August 29. 3 - Jonathan O. AYhipple, October 16. 4 - Clias. R. AAThite, August 29. 5 - Samuel Palmeter, October 9;

Alden Township 102, range 23. The first claim in this town¬ ship was proved up in 1860. The one who secured land that year was, 1 - James Rundel, October 20. Those who secured land in 1861 were: 1 - John Houck, November 8. 2 - Jonathan Rus¬ sell, June 1 ; Samuel Isaac, June 1. 3 - AN". M. L. Gray, July 20; Augustus Armstrong, September 6; Henry S. Griswold, June 24. 4 - AYm. D. Clark, June 21. 11 - Harrison Sweet, June 1. It

Moscow Township 103, range 19. The first claim in this town¬ ship was proved up in 1855. The one who secured land that year was, 17 - Sylvester Smith, November 23. Those who secured land in 1856 were : 7 - Daniel Tubbs, March 27. 8 - Geo. AY. Dearmin, June 13; Jerome Gates, Alarch 21. 11 - Amanda AI. Hale, No¬ vember 26. 12 - AYm. Litchfield, December 17; Isaiah Stokes,

Riceland Township 103, range 20. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured lanl that year were: 12 - A"ictor B. Loser, Alay 7; Amy Beardsley,

Bancroft Township 103, range 21. The first claim in this township was proved up in 1855. The one who took land that year was, 3 - Chauncy P. Richardson, November 18. Those who secured land in 1856 were: 1 - Charles Fitch, November 10. 8 - Adolphus C. Hall, November 8. 26 - John Q. Fitzgerald, July 29. 33 - Addison Caswell, November 8. 35 - Jesse W. Bogart, August 5.

Manchester Township 103, range 22. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were : 22 - Ole Olson, October 17. 28 - Samuel Wilford,

Carlston Township 103, range 23. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were : 1 - Nicholas Fesch, Jr., July 22. 2 - Andrew Stanton, June 13. 3 - David F. Miser, July 26. 10 - Robert H. Miller, April 21 ; Carl A. Landgren, September 25. 11 - Hanibal Bick¬

Newry Township 104, range 19. The first claims in this town¬ ship were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were : 4 - Oliver R. Austin, September 26. 5 - Wm. R. Luicon, September 26. Those who secured land in 1857 were : 1 - Henry C. Paul, August 1 ; Sidney McClure, June 22 ; Andrew Hartenbower, August 11; Richard Edwards, August 11. 17 - John

Bath Township 104, range 21. The first claims in this town¬ ship were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were : 1 - Geo. L. Garnish, September 25. 10 - Edwin C. Stacy, December 30. 12 - Henry M. Palmer; Noyes S. Palmer, November 10. 13 - Benjamin S. Whales, Novem¬ ber 20. 25 - Alfred B. Webber, November 6; Alex Haskins,

November 26. Those who secured land in 1857 were : 3 - Isaac M. Stackhouse, August 21. 4 - Chas. Wages, November 25. 8 - Geo. Richardson, August 28. 9 - Eugene G. Olmsted, October 3. 10 - Dennis Thompson, August 12; David Minen, May 30; Pat¬ rick Reddington, October 30. 12 - Thomas Thaxton, September

Hartland Township 104, range 22. The first claims in this township were proved up in 1856. Those who secured land that year were: 13 - John Mamelton, September 26. 23 - John

Freeborn Township 104, range 23. The first claim in this township was proved up in 1855. The one who secured land that year was, 22 - Nelson Everst, January 9. The one who secured land in 1856 was, 26 - James Montgomery, January 24. Those who secured land in 1857 were: 25 - Chas. D. Giddings, July 22. 26 - Lafayette Scott, July 22. 33 - Elon A. Douglass, September 8 ; Geo. Culbert, October 27. 34 - Hannah Grijnon, August 31.

Martin V. Kellar says : One of the serious drawbacks to¬ wards the development of Freeborn county, a curse met with in all parts of the west, was the speculator. He came, not as an actual settler, but for the specific object of proving up on a piece of land at all hazards, and selling it for what he could get or holding it for the future development of the country to bring him in a good price. A perusal of the above list of persons 'proving up,' will be a revelation to all the pioneers in our several townships. Many of these names are here seen for the first time. That fraud of the deepest dye was practiced is evident, as the law requires that the person proving up should make oath himself and be supported by one witness, that he was a bona fide settler on said land, that he had thereon a house, that he had not less than half an acre under cultivation, and that he had not sold nor bargained his claim away. As a matter of fact, many of them at the time they proved up, were then on their way out of the county, with their lands already deeded to some land shark or money lender.

Some broke the required half acre, and erected what they called a house, represented only by four posts, placed in the ground, with a little brush or hay for a roof, thus making what they purported to be a "home." A beautiful monument in Al¬ bert Lea cemetery stands on the site of such a home erected by a merchant of Mitchell, Iowa. Before he could prove up, the claim was jumped in 1856, by Rev. Isaac McReynolds, who lived on the claim for fifty years.