Houston County, Minnesota - Biographical sketches, 1919 (part 15 of 21)

Henry Wiebke, who was for a number of years one of the best known and most prosperous farmers of Winnebago township, but is now deceased, was born in Germany, Feb. 20, 1848, a son of poor parents who emigrated to the United States when he was seven years old, or about 1855. The family settled first in Illinois, from which state they came to Houston county in or about the year 1860. Here Henry was reared to manhood and had about a year's schooling in addition to what he had received in Germany. In 1869 he began farming for himself, buying 100 acres in section 30, Winnebago township. The land was partly improved, there being a small house on it, and a frame barn, 32 by 54 by 16 feet, with a full stone basement of 8 feet. Mr. Wiebke subsequently bought 80 acres adjoining, thus having a farm of 180 acres, which he made one of the best on Portland Prairie. To the original house he built an ell, 30 by 80 by 16 feet, on an eight-foot stone basement ; also a poultry house, 16 by 24 ; a machine shed, granary and corn crib combined, 20 by 32 ; a scale house, 12 by 16 feet, and other outbuildings, the scale house also serving as a garage. Not yet satisfied, in 1915 he erected a two-story modern frame house, equipped with wash rooms, toilets and bath, with kitchen and laundry in the basement, and with a modern lighting system - it being one of the finest farm houses in this section. He had under the plow the entire acreage of the farm, and for years was a breeder of pure-blooded Aberdeen Angus cattle, Poland-China hogs, and other high grades of stock, winning a high reputation both as a general farmer and stock raiser, and also as a man of enterprise and public spirit, being highly respected throughout this part of the county. In addition to his home farm he also bought at a later period, 80 acres in Jefferson township, 65 acres in sections 5 and 6, Winnebago township, another 65-acre tract in section 6, Winnebago township, and 157 acres in Mayville township, owing in all 541 acres. He was also a shareholder in the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery and the Co-operative Stock and Grain Company of Caledonia. Mr. Wiebke was a strong, rugged man and always a hard worker, and died March 2, 1916, after only a few days' sickness. In the previous January he had moved into his new house. Mr. Wiebke was first married Nov. 3, 1871, to Dorothy Kruse who died May 1, 1885. Of this union five children were born : Melinda, born Sept. 21, 1872 ; married August Lager and died Dec. 14, 1917; Henry was born Oct. 8, 1873; William, March 20, 1876; George, Aug. 21, 1882; and Lydia, Oct. 13, 1884. The last mentioned is now Mrs. Henry Poppie of Hauge Ridge, north of Caledonia. Mr. Wiebke's second marriage occurred Nov. 29, 1887, when he was united with Mary, daughter of Fred and Christina Juergens, of Cook county, 111., the date of her birth being Nov. 4, 1862. The children by this union were: Alma, born Sept. 11, 1888; and Addie, born March 22, 1891, both of whom are unmarried and residing on the home farm ; Elsie, born June 27, 1893, now Mrs. Otto Voigt of Winnebago township; Leroy, born Feb. 29, 1896, is now married and farming in the county ; Herbert, Dec. 6, 1899, and Fremont, July 23, 1901, are as yet unmarried and are now ot)erating the home farm, owning the stock, tools and equipment. Their mother also resides on the farm, and the children of Mr. Wiebke's first marriage reside within a few miles and are all well to do. The family attend the German Evangelical church at Eitzen, of which they are members and of which Mr. Wiebke was a strong supporter.

Henry Deters, the father of Frank F. Deters, was bom in Germany, and was married in Illinois in 1855. He and his wife, Mary, came to Allamakee county, Iowa, in the same year, taking a tract of land in Union City township, near the village of Eitzen, on which they built a log house and started poor, but in time developed a good farm and became prosperous. Both are now deceased. They had nine children ; Henry, deceased ; Frank F., of Winnebago township, Houston county; Louisa, now Mrs. Henry Luehr of Wilmington township ; Louis, now on the old home farm in Allamakee county, Iowa; Herman, deceased; Emma, wife of William Dresselhaus of Decorah, Iowa; Otto, who met an accidental death, being injured with a hay fork while working on the farm ; William, residing in Houston county ; and Rosina, who is deceased.

Frank F. Deters, a prominent farmer and highly esteemed citizen of Winnebago township, who has also other extensive land interests, was bom on a farm in Allamakee county, Iowa, near the village of Eitzen, Feb. 20, 1858, son of Henry and Mary Deters. He was there reared, attending the common school up to the age of 15 years. Remaining on the home farm until 1880, he was then married, Oct. 7, 1880, to Louisa, daughter of Fred and Christina Thies, of Eitzen, Minn. He then rented the farm that he now owns and operates, lying just on the edge of Eitzen village, which was improved but had poor buildings. Here he has since built a good two-story double house of 14 rooms ; a large stock and grain barn, 34 by 76 by 18 feet, with full stone basement eight feet high, and well equipped; a horse and hay barn, 30 by 44 by 18 feet ; a block tile poultry house, 14 by 22 feet ; a machine and buggy shed combined, 20 by 33 feet ; besides other necessary buildings, all of which are in fine condition. His farm lies in two sections, there being roughly speaking 114 acres in section 32 and 40 acres in section 31, or an exact total of 153.98 acres. The land is very productive, and is well fenced and well tilled, there being 140 acres under the plow. Mr. Deters also owns 80 acres of wild land in Marinette county, Wisconsin, and a fine ten-acre timber tract in Allamakee county, Iowa. His home farm lies on the famous Portland Prairie, and is well stocked with Shorthorn and Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs, and he operates it in association with his son. Franklin H. He is also a stockholder in the Eitzen Cooperative Creamery and the Caledonia Co-operative Stock and Grain Co. A man of ability and enterprise, he has attained a high measure of success. Mr. and Mrs. Deters have one child, the son Franklin H. above mentioned, who was born Aug. 20, 1881, and who has always remained on the home farm. He attended a commercial school at Eitzen, and was also a pupil for two years at Breckenridge Institute, Decorah, Iowa. On December 2, 1903, he married Rosa, daughter of August and Mary Franzen, of Dupage county. 111. He and his wife have had four children : Roy, born Sept. 21, 1904 ; Fremont and Earl, twins, born Sept. 17, 1906, of whom Earl is now deceased ; and Edgar, born March 17, 1910. Mr. Deters and his sons are both Republicans in politics and both have rendered service as town and school board officials. The two families have individual membership in the German Evangelical church of Eitzen.

August F. Fruechte, one of the leading farmers of Winnebago township, residing in section 33, was born on the farm on which he is now living, Nov. 30, 1877, son of Henry and Sophia Fruechte. His education was acquired in the common school in Eitzen village, the Winona Normal School, and the Minnesota Agriculutral School at St. Paul. His residence, when not pursuing his higher education, has always been on the home farm, which in 1907 he rented of his father and is now operating for his mother, he, himself owing the stock, tools and teams. His operating equipment is of the best, and he also owns a large Overland auto. He is a breeder of high grade Shorthorn cattle, keeping from 70 to 75 head ; Poland-China hogs and Shropshire sheep, of each of which kinds of stock he keeps from 100 to 150 head. Thoroughly versed in all the details of grain and stock farming, he is enjoying a prosperous career and is a highly respected citizen of his township. He is also a stockholder in the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery, the Eitzen State Bank, and the Farmers' Co-operative Mercantile Co. of Eitzen, being secretary of the last mentioned organization. Dec. 15, 1909, Mr. Fruechte was united in marriage with Alvina, daughter of August and Dorothy Wiegrefe, her parents being residents of this locality. He and his wife have three children : Martha, born Sept. 28, 1910 ; Dorothy, Aug. 2, 1912 ; and Elsie, Jan. 30, 1918. Mr. Fruechte and his family are members of the German Evangelical church at Eitzen. His political principles are in general those of the Republican party, though he exercises freedom in casting his vote.

Henry Fruechte, the founder of one of the best farms on Portland Prairie, Winnebago township, but now deceased, was born in Hanover, Germany, April 21, 1838, son of John H. and Dorothy (Meyer) Fruechte. He was educated in his native land, attending the common and parochial schools and also an agriculutral college, coming to America in the spring of 1860 a trained farmer. For one year he worked as a farm hand at Bensonville, 111., a suburb of Chicago. In the spring of 1861 he came to Houston county and bought 160 acres of wild land, partly grubbed and part prairie, in section 33, Winnebago township. During the summer of that year, however, he worked for a Mr. Evans. In the fall he returned to Bensonville, where he attended English school during the winter of 1861-62. In the spring of 1862 he returned to Houston County and did some grubbing on his land, also building a small frame house. Thus prepared for domestic life, he again returned to Bensonville, where he was married, Oct. 9, 1862, to Sophia Franzen, daughter of John H. and Elizabeth Franzen. Immediately after his marriage he brought his bride to his Houston county farm, and together they began the work of developing the land and building a home. Though beginning with few resources, they made gradual progress and in time became prosperous. Before his death, which occurred April 21, 1915, Mr. Fruechte had acquired 450 acres of land - ^the present area of the farm - and was also the owner of two other farms in the western part of the state, each of 320 acres. On his home farm he had erected a fine set of buildings, including three frame barns, one 33 by 104 by 14 feet, with full stone basements for horses and cattle ; another 24 by 60 by 12, for cattle, and the third 24 by 50 by 10, for stock. Among his other buildings were a machine shed, 22 by 60 feet, a granary 16 by 24 ; a hog house, with cement feeding floor, 20 by 50, and a poultry house 16 by 24 feet, together with corn cribs and other outbuildings. He also erected a comfortable house of two stories, and beautified the grounds about it. The farm is well tilled, about 300 acres being under the plow, and the land being very productive. Mr. Fruechte marketed his products at New Albin. He was a breeder of high grade Shorthorn cattle, Poland-China hogs and graded Percheron horses. He was a man of sturdy physique and his last sickness was very brief. In addition to his direct farming and landed interests, he was a stockholder in various local enterprises, including the New Albin Stock & Grain Co., the New Albin Savings Bank, the State Bank of Eitzen, and the Eitzen Co-operative Creamery. In politics he was a Republican and served his town in various official capacities for a number of years. He was also prominent in church work, with his family belonging to the German Evangelical congregation at Eitzen. Mr. Freuchte was survived by his wife, who was bom Jan. 28, 1843, and who is still active and in good health. They had ten children, whose record in brief is as follows : Herman H., born Jan 7, 1864, now a farmer in Allamakee county, Iowa; Rosina, born Aug. 30, 1865, who is the wife of William L, Korthauer, of Verdi, Minn. ; Otto H., a farmer in section 31, Winnebago township ; Henry W., born Oct. 23, 1871, who is farming in Allamakee county, Iowa; Louisa, born July 25, 1873, now Mrs. Frank Thies of Wilmington township ; Louis H., born March 31, 1875, who died Aug. 26, 1877; August, a farmer in section 33, Winnebago township ; Emma, born Feb. 1, 1881, now Mrs. William Wiegref e of Wilmington township ; Franklin, born Nov. 10, 1884, who is cashier of the Eitzen State Bank ; and Martha, born Sept. 8, 1887, who died March 18, 1892.

Gustav Schroeder, a prosperous representative of the farming interests of Winnebago township, operating a farm of 131 acres in section 7, was bom in Caledonia township, Houston county, Minn., May 20, 1884, son of William and Emelia (Brenker) Schroeder. The father was bom in Germany and emigrated to this county, where he is still engaged in farming. His wife, a native of the United States, is also living. They had eight children: Gustav, Otto, William, Alvina, Edwin, Ella, Henry and Albert. Gustav Schroeder in his boyhood attended district school and assisted his father on the home farm until 15 years old, when he began working out for wages. He was thus occupied until 1909, when he married. He then rented a farm, which he worked for seven years, at the end of that time buying the farm on which he now lives. Of its total area of 131 acres, 62 acres are cleared and Mr. Schi-oeder is still engaged in clearing the land. He does mixed farming, giving his chief attention to stock raising. Among his general improvements, he has erected several outbuildings and drilled a good well. He is a director in the school board of his district, and is the president and a shareholder in the Stromberg Telephone Co. No. 2. He also holds shares in the Caledonia Co-Operative Elevator Co. and in the Wilmington Co-Operative Creamery Co. Mr. Schroeder WAS m&rri6(l in Houston county, Jan. 18, 1909, to Matilda Kruse, who was born in Winnebago township, this county, June 22, 1885, daughter of August and Emma (Meyer) Kruse. The parents were born in Germany but married in the United States. They are still engaged in farming in this county. They have had six children, Lizetta, Matilda, Herman and Carl (twins) , and two others who are now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Schroeder are the parents of four children: Clara, bom Dec. 31, 1910; LiUie, Aug. 26, 1912; Arnold, April 4, 1915, and Carl, Jan. 30, 1918. The family attend the Lutheran church at Eitzen.

Andrew Anderson, an enterprising and successful farmer of Mayville township, residing in section 8, was bom in Norway, Feb. 3, 1845, son of Andreas Olson and his wife, Oleana, his father being a working man. Neither of his parents ever came to America, but lived and died in their native land. They had seven children: Olaus, now deceased, who was a farmer in Wisconsin ; Mary, who is a widow living in Wisconsin ; Andrew, subject of this sketch ; Anton and Ole, of Mayville township ; Sophia, who is still living in Norway, as well as Hannah, both being married; and a son who died at the age of two years. Andrew Anderson attended school in Norway and subsequently served two months in the Norwegian army. He worked at diifemt occupations in his native land, and on coming to the United States located first at Red Wing, Minn., where he resided for seven years working most of the time on farms. He then bought land in Pierce county. Wis., and was engaged in farming there for one year. Then, about 1880, he bought the farm on which he now lives, containing 120 acres, later homesteading 40 acres more, or 160 in all. Only 40 acres of the whole amount were cleared but he now has a cleared area of 120 acres, the balance being in woodland and bluffs. He has erected all the buildings himself and his place is now well improved. He does mixed farming, mainly dairying and the raising of swine, which, with cattle, he ships to the market. Formerly he was a member of the Farmers' Co-Operative Elevator Co. He has made good progress and is now one of the prosperous citizens of his township. Mr. Anderson was married in Red Wing, Minn., March 3, 1877, to Carrie Ahlburg, who was bom in Norway, July 2, 1854, daughter of Hanson and Mary (Arneson) Ahlburg. Both parents died in this country, the father dying of sunstroke while employed as a railroad man. After his death his widow married Christopher Olson. By the first marriage she had seven children: Anna Mary, bom May 8, 1840; Ole Christian, April 3, 1842; Laura Fredericka, Nov. 9, 1844; Anton, June 18, 1848; and Carrie, July 2, 1854. Two more died in infancy. Of the second marriage five children were bom. Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are the parents of five children: Albert, born Dec. 23, 1878; Emma, Dec. 5, 1882; Carl, July 28, 1881 ; Hilda, June 2, 1887 ; and Arthur, June 17, 1893. Albert is a newspaper man and postmaster at Clear Brook, Minn. Emma is married and living in Houston county. Carl and Arthur are residing at home. Hilda is in Green Bay, Wis. Mr. Anderson and the members of his family who are residing at home attend the Norwegian Lutheran church at Caledonia.

Thomas Houlihan

Peter Holter, a prosperous farmer of Winnebago township, residing in section 18, wa» bom in Houston county, Minn., in January, 1883, son of Ole and Esibel (Twite) Holter. The parents were natives of Norway, both coming to this country when young, the mother at nine years of age. They are now engaged in farming near Cook, Minn. They have had eight children: Severt (1), Severt (2), Alfred, Peter, John, Olaf, Edward and Henry. All are living except the first Severt, who died in infancy. Peter Holter acquired his education in the district school and assisted his father on the home farm until attaining his majority, when he started in for himself. Marrying at the age of 23, he lived for six years on a farm owned by his wife, and for the next six years rented a place. He then moved back to the home farm, on which he is now living, and which contains 80 acres, of which about 30 acres are cleared, the rest being in woodland. He has himself cleared a part of the land and erected all the buildings, rebuilding the house. His barn, having a stone basement eight feet high, measures 50 by 30 feet. He has also built fences and made other improvements. Mr. Holter married in Spring Grove, Houston county, Minn., Jan. 17, 1906, Mrs. Reirson, who was bom March 16, 1873, daughter of Hans Smastad and wife. Her mother is now dead, but her father is now living at the age of 88 years. Out of a family of ten children, Mrs. Holter is the only one now living. Mr. and Mrs. Holter have five children : Pearl Alvine, bom Aug. 16, 1906 ; Ida, bom July 24, 1908; Arthur, bom Feb. 1, 1910; Hazel, bom Sept. 16, 1912; and Robert, bom Sept. 5, 1914. Four children were bom of Mrs. Holter's first marriage, namely: Nels, Jan. 6, 1896; Harry, Oct. 17, 1898; William, Jan. 12, 1900 ; and Eddie, April 7, 1902. All these children of suitable age are attending school, and all are residing on the home farm except Nels, who is living in Houston county. Mr. Holter and his family attend the Norwegian Lutheran church at Wilmington.

Thomas Houlihan, one of the early settlers in Mayville township, now deceased, was bom in Ireland, and came to the United States with his parents when ten years old, the family settling in Jo Daviess county, 111., and the father finding employment on the railroad. There Thomas attended school and grew to manhood. At the close of the Civil War he came to Houston county, Minnesota, and was married in Caledonia to Margaret Dean. Taking a tract of land in Wilmington township, he began the task of developing a farm, working hard and making gradual improvements, and in this he continued for practically the rest of his life, his burden being partly lightened by the assistance of his sons. He died March 20, 1917, having attained the advanced age of 72 years and 3 months. His wife Margaret was but 29 years old when she died, about 1882. They were the parents of five children, Kate, Mary, Patrick, Anna, and Michael F., the last mentioned of whom is now operating the old home farm in section 4. His sister Kate, who was bom Nov. 6, 1871, resides with him. Mary, bom May 15, 1875, is a resident of Milwaukee. Patrick, born in 1877, is an employee of the Tri-State Telephone and resides in St. Paul. Anna, bom in January, 1879, is the wife of E. J. Radandt, a fumiture dealer of Wausau, Wis.

Michael F. Houlihan, a prosperous farmer of section 4, Mayville township, is a native of Houston county, having been bom in Wilmington town- ship, July 15, 1873, son of Thomas and Margaret (Dean) Houlihan. His parents were early settlers in Mayville township, where^ they bought the farm which he is now conducting. When he was nine or ten years old his mother died, but he continued to reside on the farm with his father, attending district school during the winters, and picking up a good knowledge of agriculture when not engaged with his books. Besides assisting his father, he occasionally worked out on other farms, but his main efforts were directed towards the improvement of the parental homestead on which he has resided since his youth, and which he has personally operated since his father's death in March, 1917. The farm contains acres and is all cleared. Mr. Houlihan does mixed farming, giving special attention to dairying and the raising of swine. His cattle are of the Shorthorn breed, his swine being Duroc-Jerseys and every year he raises a number of each kind of stock for the market, carrying on a profitable business. His buildings are modern, having been erected during the last 15 years. In addition to his direct farming interests he is a shareholder in the Mayville Star Telephone Co., of which he was treasurer for eight years. He is a Catholic in religion, and with his sister Kate, who resides with him, he attends the Catholic church at Caledonia.

Helmer Oscar Buxengard, a general farmer operating 119 acres in section 6, Winnebago township, was bom in Houston county, Jan. 1, 1884, son of Mr. and Mrs. Swen Buxengard. The parents, natives of this county, are now retired farmers living in Caledonia. They have had four children: Helmer Oscar ; Mary, now deceased ; and Clara and Amanda, who are living in La Crosse. Helmer Oscar was educated in the district school, and was trained to agriculture on the home farm, on which he assisted his father, though occasionally working out, until three years ago. He then rented the farm from his father and has since operated it on his own account. About 80 acres are cleared, the rest being in bluff and woodland. Mr. Buxengard does general farming, raising both grain and stock. He has also an acre of ginseng under cultivation. He is making good progress and is a shareholder in the Farmers' Elevator at Caledonia and the creamery at Wilmington. On April 15, 1916, he was married in Caledonia, to Clara Annetta Viegan, who was bom in Iowa, May 7, 1883, daughter of Halvor Viegan and wife. Both parents were bom in Norway, the mother coming to this country when a babe. Mr. Viegan was a schoolmaster before his marriage but afterwards engaged in farming. He is now deceased. He and his wife had three children: Clara Annetta, now Mrs. Buxengard; John Gerhardt, living in West Beaver, this county ; and Hilda Julia, wife of Arthur Sears. Mr. and Mrs. Buxengard attend the Lutheran church at Wilmington.

Philip Bung, a representative farmer of Mayville township, residing in section 33, was bom in this township, Oct. 11, 1881, son of Frank and Helen (Schweback) Bung. The father was bom in the town of Beason, Duchy of Luxemburg, and the mother in the same Duchy. The former came to this country at the age of eleven years, and became a farmer in Mayville township, Houston county, continuing in that occupation until his death. His wife, who survived him, is now residing in Caledonia. They had seven children: Margaret, James, Katie, Philip, Nicholas E., Cecelia, and Anastasia. Cecelia is now deceased. Philip Bung was educated in the district school, and until he was 25 years of age assisted his father on the home farm. He then married and for six years thereafter operated rented land, in October, 1912, buying the farm on which he now lives. It has an area of 208 acres, of which 135 acres are cleared, the rest being in woodland. Fifteen acres were cleared by himself. He has also made some valuable improvements on the place, having built a new bam, 32 by 80 feet, with 18-foot posts and hip roof; also a hog bam and other outbuildings, and in addition he has improved the house and thoroughly fenced the entire farm. He raises both grain and stock, giving special attention to the breeding of swine. He is also a shareholder in the co-operative creamery at Caledonia, and has served one term as treasurer of his school district. Mr. Bung was married, Jan. 22, 1907, to Cecelia Emster, who was bom in Mayville township, Houston county, May 4, 1883, daughter of Peter and Elizabeth (KoU) Emster. Her parents were natives of Luxemburg, the father being a farmer. Both are now deceased. They had twelve children, of whom seven are now living. Mr. and Mrs. Bung are the parents of five children, bom as follows: Amelia, Dec. 4, 1907; Leona, June 2, 1910; Cordula, Oct. 12, 1913; Aloysius, May 28, 1916; and Arnold, Dec. 12, 1917.

Glaus O. Sanness, proprietor of one of the best farms in Wilmington township, located in section 28, was bom in section 21, this township, Dec. 5, 1862, son of Ole and Celia Sanness. The father was born near Christiania, Norway, and was one of the pioneer settlers in this part of Houston county, locating on land that is now the farm of E. 0. Steneroden. He was a man of sturdy type and became prominent in the community, being one of the founders of the Wihnington Congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical church, to which he was a liberal contributor. He died in 1898, and his wife in 1892. They had four daughters and one son, namely: Olive, now Mrs. E. O. Steneroden of Wilmington township ; Bergit, wife of Andrew Dahle of Caledonia township; Marie, wife of Ed Ostem of Wilmington township; Sophia, now Mrs. O. C. Vaaler of Spring Grove; and Olaus O., who was the youngest member of the family. Olaus O. Sanness was reared on the home farm, on which he had to make himself useful at an early age, but attended district school during the winters until he was 18 years old. In March, 1881, he married Margit, daughter of Nels and Ingre Hefty of Wilmington township, at which time he began farming for himself on the E. O. Steneroden farm. A year later he bought 180 acres of improved land of Erick Steneroden, 160 acres of which lay in section 28 and 20 acres in section 32. The buildings consisted of a log house and some straw sheds for cattle. This place he has since made his home, but has greatly changed its aspect by the numerous improvements he has made, especially in the erection of suitable buildings of modem type. These include a substantial, two-story, ten-room house ; a frame barn, 32 by 70 by 18 feet in size, having a full stone basement of eight feet; a granary, machine shed, carriage house, three hog houses, with a cement feeding floor 20 by 32 feet ; a double <;om crib, with an eight-foot driveway between; a woodshed, summer Jdtchen with two rooms, and a garage for his flve-passenger Dodge auto- mobile. The farm is also well fenced and provided with good wells. In addition to raising the usual grains, Mr. Sanness is a breeder of grade Hereford cattle and Duroc-Jersey hogs, and has been successful in every branch of his extensive business. He has served for a number of years as school director, being a Republican in politics. In addition to his direct farming interests he holds stock in the Spring Grove Stock and Grain Co. ; the Honey Creamery, the Independent Harvester Co., and the Spring Grove Hospital. Mr. Sanness' first wife, Mrs. Margit Sanness, died in 1888. She had been the mother of two children : Cecelia, bom Jan. 5, 1883, now Mrs. William Bergrud of Wilmington township; and Olga, bom Nov. 7, 1885, who died at the age of two years. On May 15, 1894, Mr. Sanness was married to Nellie Ostby, who was bom Nov. 11, 1871, daughter of David L. and Johanna Ostby of Wilmington township. Of this union nine children have been bom, namely: Julia Elida, Jan. 19, 1896, who is a student in the Minnesota Agricultural College at St. Paul; Dina Olgo Mathilda, bom April 9, 1898; Minnie Emelia, bom Sept. 4, 1900; Oscar Neuman, Dec. 11, 1902; Stella Helmine, Nov. 29, 1904; Ruth Selmine, Dec. 25, 1906; Amold Lewis, April 24, 1909 ; Ole Norton, May 4, 1911 ; and Selmer Tilf ord. May 10, 1913. All are residing at home. Mr. ^Sanness and his family are members of the Norwegian Evangelical Congregation of Wilmington, of which he has been a trustee for the last twelve years.

Edward A. Blegen, proprietor of one of the pioneer farms of Houston county, situated partly in section 31, Wilmington township, and partly in Allamakee county, Iowa, was born in the section above mentioned, Sept. 2, 1856, son of Andrew E. and Ingebor (Rosendahl) Blegen. His parents being among the first settlers in the county, his boyhood days were spent amid primitive scenes, of which the picturesque Red Man was for a number of years a prominent feature. Although obliged to work on the home farm at an early age, he was allowed to attend school during the winters until 18 years old. From the age of 23 to that of 26 he worked out as a farm hand. In 1885 he rented the old home farm and in the same year was united in marriage with Karine, daughter of Andrew and Thure Kroshus, of Spring Grove township, and who was born Jan. 1, 1863. For four years after renting the farm, Mr. Blegan went to North Dakota for the threshing season. In 1890 he bought his father's farm, consisting of 82 acres in section 31, Wilmington township, and 65 acres across the state line in Allamakee county, Iowa, the farm being all in one piece. One hundred acres are now under the plow, with the balance in pasture and meadow. Among the buildings on the farm when he took possession of it was a good frame house of eight rooms, consisting of a two-story upright with wing. In 1909 he built a frame barn 34 by 66 by 16 feet, with a full stone basement of eight feet, and cement floors. He has also erected a machine shed, 16 by 32 ; a granary, 16 by 26 ; a hog house, 12 by 52, with a cement feeding floor on two sides, and a stave silo, 14 by 32, built in 1912. His teams, machinery, and other equipment are thoroughly adequate and of good quality. For the last twelve years Mr. Blegen has kept a herd of Jersey cattle, numbering from 30 to 35 head, including 15 or 20 milk cows. He is now breeding registered Angus cattle, having full-blooded sires, and has a drove of 85 to 100 Duroc-Jersey hogs. He is carrying on a profitable business and through enterprise and industry has become prosperous. He is a stockholder in the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Co., the Spring Grove Co-operative Creamery and the Spring Grove Hospital. In politics he is a Republican. On Nov. 16, 1903, Mr. Blegen lost his wife, who passed away on the home farm. Seven children had been born to them : Alf ord, born April 6, 1890, who died July 9, 1916; Amos Laueren, bom Sept. 16, 1891, who is now a farmer at Scoby, Mont. ; Ignus Theodore, born Dec. 24, 1893, who is a contractor at Scoby, Mont. ; Thinka Sophia, born Sept. 3, 1897, who is keeping house for her father; Oscar Maurice, born Oct. 8, 1895; John Edwin, Oct. 22, 1899, and Henry Bernhard, Jan 1, 1903. Two of the sons in this family served in the Great War. Theodore saw nearly a year's service in France with Co. D, 22nd Engineers, and assisted in erecting the famous Pershing Stadium near Paris. Oscar M. served six months in France in Co. A, 102nd Infantry, with the 26th Division, this being the famous New England division which established such a notable record.

Andrew E. Blegen, one of the early pioneers of Houston county, now living retired on the farm he established in 1857 in section 31, Wihnington township, was bom in Haland, Norway, May 25, 1832. His parents were farmers and he was early trained to agricultural work, obtaining very little schooling. At the age of twenty-one, being then his own master, he resolved to seek his fortune in America, and accordingly left home, and after a long voyage of nearly three months in a small sailing vessel, landed at Quebec, Canada, from which city he came directly to Argyle, Lafayette county. Wis. There, in October, 1856, after a two or three years' residence, he was married to Ingeborg, daughter of Ole and Margaret Rosendahl, of that place, xind in the following year they came together to Houston county, Minnesota, with an ox team and all their household possessions, which were not many. Few of the pioneers began under more discouraging conditions, as, in addition to the wildness of the country, the principal inhabitants of which were the Indians, they had very little money, and Mr. Blegen was unable to speak English. For most of that year he and his wife lived in Spring Grove township, he working out at grubbing, or whatever he could find to do. In the same year, however, he bought a tract of government land in section 31, Wilmington township, which was covered with stumps and needed grubbing. On it he built a small log house, 12 by 14 feet in size, into which he and his wife moved with their possessions. It was near winter and there was little chance to do anything towards improving his land until the next season, but as he and his wife had to live, he split rails that winter for one dollar a hundred, splitting some 3,000, besides 700 fence stakes, and also hauled rails from Bear Creek, Iowa. Later he worked at grubbing for L. T. Johnson's father, and found it very hard work, as he had not the proper tools. His earnings were small and he was often discouraged, but was supported in large measure by the religious faith taught him by his mother in his childhood, and by the aid and companionship of the wife. Among his various experiences, he had to drive his oxen twentytwo miles to the mill in Iowa, and also hauled grain to Lansing, that state, a distance of twenty-eight miles, and to Decorah, Iowa, and Brownsville,

Minn. In the winter he hauled dressed hogs to La Crosse, thirty-eight miles away, receiving three cents a pound for them. His supplies he obtained from a store in Spring Grove village. Wheat brought thirty-five cents a bushel at Houston, a distance of twenty-eight miles from his farm, the buyers often taking advantage of the farmer by registering less than the actual weight. Another disadvantage was the high rate of interest, as he had to pay forty per cent per annum on a sum of $100 which he borrowed to make his first payment on his land, and had he borrowed it for a shorter time it would have cost him sixty per cent. Even this was not all, for the chintz bugs often destroyed most of the wheat crop, leaving only about two and a half bushels an acre. They were sometimes in fear of the Indians, but never received any harm at their hands. In spite of these hardships and losses, Mr. Blegen made gradual, if slow, progress, and by 1876 was able to build a comfortable frame house, which was joined on to the original log structure, making a two-story upright of eight rooms, and wing. Other buildings were also erected by himself and his son, Edward A., who is now operating the farm, and form a complete set, all in good condition. Mr. Blegen also helped to organize the first district school, which, before a regular school building was erected, was held successively in different places, usually for a week at each place. In 1885 he retired from active work, renting the farm to his son, Edward A., though continuing his residence with his wife in the old log portion of the house, where he is still living. Here Mrs. Blegen died, Oct. 10, 1910, her loss being mourned by her husband and family, and regretted by the entire community. Though now in his eighty-seventh year, Mr. Blegen still enjoys good health, both in mind and body. He is widely known and respected both for his personal qualities, and as one of the few remaining pioneer settlers of Houston county. In politics he has been a Republican practically since the formation of that party, while his religious affiliations are with the Spring Grove congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church. It is also interesting to note that he helped to build the home for the first pastor of this congregation, laying the first timber, and also helped to build the old stone church, the second, and the present church.

Nels EUestad, an enterprising and successful farmer of Wilmington township, residing in section 19, was bom on his present farm, Dec. 1, 1862, son of Haagen and Margit (Gundgaard) EUestad. His parents had then been residents of this locality for ten years, having come from Norway in 1852 directly to Spring Grove, Houston county, Minn. Having $200 the father invested in a homestead claim of 120 acres in sections 19 and 20, three and a half miles southeast of the village, of which tract five acres were broken. There was also a small log house on the place, in which the subject of this sketch was bom, it being for fifteen years the family dwelling. Hard working and thrifty, the parents prospered, so that in a few years Haagen EUestad had money to loan. He and his wife both attained an advanced age, being about ninety when they died, Mr. EUestad in 1907 and Mrs. EUestad in 1911. Their son Nels always remained with them. In his boyhood he attended the district school until about sixteen years old, and from that time on he took an active part in the development of the farm.

Hans A. Sundet And Family

On June 12, 1897, he married Emma, daughter of Nils and Kari Tveito, of Spring Grove township, and set up housekeeping on the old homestead, which he had purchased in 1891. Here he has since remained, having 143 acres, of which ninety are under the plow. In 1900 he built a brick veneer house of one and a half stories, containing nine rooms. His frame bam, 30 by 52 by 18 feet, with a nine-foot full stone basement, was erected in 1898, and he has altogether a good set of substantial outbuildings. The farm is beautifully located and the soil is very fertile. Mr. EUestad does general farming, keeping a good herd of graded Hereford cattle, and another of Poland-China and Duroc swine. In addition to this farm, he also owns half a section of land near Midland, S. D., and is interested in several local enterprises, including the Bee Creamery Association, the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Co., and the Spring Grove Hospital. He is a member of the Norwegian Evangelical church at Spring Grove. Mrs. Emma Ellestad died in March, 1909, leaving three children: Minerva, Newman and Rinaldo. Minerva, who was born Feb. 27, 1898, after graduating from the district school was a student for one winter in the Minnesota State Agricultural College. Since her mother's death she has been the housekeeper of the family. Newman, bom June 3, 1901, and Rinaldo, born Aug. 5, 1903, are both living on the home farm.

Asle Sundet, one of the early settlers of Wilmington township, now deceased, was a native of Norway, from which country he came with his wife Aasa and five children to Iowa, locating first in Winneshiek county on land not far from the Houston county line. The family resided there but a very short time, however, when they moved to Wilmington township, Houston county, Minn., Mr. Sundet buying eighty acres of wild land in section 32, on which he built a log house and some straw sheds for cattle. He and his wife were very poor and for a number of years had to work hard and unitedly to make a bare subsistence. In time they increased the size of their farm by the purchase of fifty additional acres and became somewhat more prosperous. Mrs. Sundet died in 1870, her husband surviving her until July 27, 1891, when he, too, passed away. Their children were as follows : Christian, now deceased ; Ingeborg, now Mrs. Amund Nelson, of Fountain, Minn.; Christie, now Mrs. Ed Woyen of Spring Grove village, Houston county; Christian (second), who is a farmer at Hixon, N. D.; Mari, now Mrs. E. A. Livdahl of Spring Grove ; Ture, wife of B. J. Bergrud of Winneshiek county, Iowa ; Hans A., now proprietor of the old home farm ; and Filing, who is farming at Viking, N. D.

Hans A. Sundet, a prominent representative of the agricultural interests of Wilmington township, was bom in Winneshiek county, Iowa, Sept. 27, 1862, son of Asle and Aasa Sundet. His parents being poor, he had few opportunities for acquiring an education and attended school but for a short time, working outside of school hours on the home farm, on which he has always resided. In 1890, the year before his father's death, he bought the property, and has since made some important improvements on it, having built a comfortable eight-room house, lighted by acetylene gas ; a summer kitchen and woodshed combined, 12 by 18 feet; a frame bam, 20 by 40 by 16 ; a double com crib ; a hog house with cement feeding floor ; a machine shed, granary and garage. He also has a fine steel windmill. His farm, containing 132 acres, is well fenced, and the teams, tools and equipment are all of the best type. Mr. Sundet breeds high grade Hereford cattle and Poland-China hogs, having full-blooded sires, and is doing a prosperous business, being one of the substantial citizens of his township. In addition to his direct farming interests, he is a stockholder in various local enterprises, and others, including the Honey Creamery at Bee, Minn. ; the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Co. ; the Spring Grove Hospital ; the Independent Harvester Co., of Piano, 111., the Equity Shipping Association of Spring Grove ; and the Wilmington Fire Insurance Co., of which he has been treasurer for thirteen years. A Republican in politics, he has served twelve years as clerk of his school district. Mr. Sundet was married Feb. 5, 1890, to Anna, daughter of Salva and Matte (Nelson) Reitan. She was bom Jan. 23, 1869, and spent her earliest years in Winneshiek county, Iowa, the Reitan family being neighbors of the Sundets, but went to Wild Rice, N. D., with her parents at the age of seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Sundet have five children: Arthur Sedwin, bom Aug. 20, 1893, now a farmer in Spring Grove township ; Leander Carlot, bom June 17, 1897, now working on the home farm with his father, and the owner of a milk route connected with the Honey Creamery ; Elva Miranda, bon^ May 23, 1900, who is a graduate of the Spring Grove high school ; and Myrtle Adelia and Huldah, residing at home. In addition to his farm Mr. Sundet owns a modem residence in the village of Spring Grove, where the family expect to live after retirement from farm labors.

John G. Hagen, one of the early Norwegian settlers in Wilmington township, was bom near Christiania, Norway, in 1848, and came to this country in 1865. For some years he worked as a farm hand, especially at grubbing, and continued for a while in straightened circumstances. On March 13, 1873, he married Bertha, who was born in the same locality in Norway as himself, and in the same year. In order to get to this country she had borrowed $20 to help pay her passage, and had to work out after arriving here to earn money to pay the debt. Mr. Hagen, soon after his marriage, bought forty acres of land in section 33, which tract is a part of his present farm, and building a small log shanty, he began clearing his farm with the help of oxen. Both he and his wife worked hard, often side by side in the field. Later they purchased forty acres more, which tract they also cleared in addition to the original forty. After living on the place until 1908 they sold it to their son Michael, and bought a little home in Bee village, where they have since resided, being now about seventy years of age.

Michael Hagen, proprietor of the old Hagen homestead in section 33, Wilmington township, half a mile north of the Iowa State line, was bom on this farm, March 26, 1883, son of John G. and Bertha Hagan. The dwelling in which he first saw the light was a small pioneer log house, and, his parents being poor, he was obliged to make himself useful at an early age, though during the winters he attended the district school until he was sixteen. After assisting his father until he was twenty-three, he was then married, March 23, 1910, to Sophia Myhre, daughter of Knute Myhre, of Wilmington township, and began an independent career by renting the Ole Gubrud farm, lying not far from his present home. Two years later, in 1912, he bought his parents' old homestead and moved on to it. Here he has since remained, the farm being a good one, and much improved from the work he has done on it. It is well fenced and most of the land is. under cultivation. He has also rebuilt the house, and erected a frame bam 30 by 50 by 14 feet on a full stone basement of eight feet ; and has also built a hog house, poultry house and machine shed. His teams, tools and other equipment are also adequate and up to date. He is engaged in general farming and has a good herd of grade cattle, besides raising annually fifty or sixty head of Duroc and Poland-China hogs. He is also a stockholder in the Spring Grove Hospital. In politics he is a Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Hagen, the latter of whom was bom in Wilmington township, Feb. 23, 1885, are the parents of one child, James, who was bom Dec. 24, 1911. Mr. Hagen has two brothers and one sister. One brother, Gilbert, who was bora in 1876, resides in Allamakee county, Iowa, only about a mile from the old home, being near the state line. Julius, the other brother, is a farmer near Esmond, N. D. The sister, Emma, bom in 1881, was married in April, 1912, to Alfred Thorson, of Spring Grove village. Mr. Hagen and his family, together with his parents, are members of the Waterloo Ridge congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church.

Magnus Magnusson, a well known and prosperous business man residing at Bee, in Wilmington township, was born in Folgerohavn near Bergen, Norway, May 12, 1869, son of Magnus and Inga Magnusson. The father died in Norway in 1874, being survived by his wife and eight children. Of these children four came to America: Margrithe, now Mrs. Halvor Degerness, of Gary, Minn. ; Johan and Berent, who located at Great Falls, Mont., and Magnus, the subject of this sketch. It was in 1886 that Magnus came to this country, having been preceded by his sister Margrithe. Locating at Gary, Minn., he remained there nine years, and there learned the buttermaker's trade. During that period, in 1892, he attended the State Dairy School at St. Paul. From Gary he went to the neighboring town of Strand as butter maker. In 1894 he came to Bee, Houston county, and became connected with the creamery here, which had just then been organized, and he has remained here ever since, except for a period of ten months, during which he was absent on a visit to his old home in Norway, leaving here in December, 1896. While in England, on his way to his native land, he met and became acquainted with Maglie Ameson, daughter of Ame and Christie Ameson of Hatlestrand-Hordonger, Norway, who was accompanied by her brother, and the three journeyed together to Bergen. On his retum trip he met Miss Ameson again in Liverpool and they became engaged. In September, 1897, she came to Bee, where they were married on Oct. 9. Although he continued to hold his position as butter maker at the creamery, Mr. Magnusson in 1899 bought forty acres of land in the vicinity, all but six acres of which had been broken. There was also a log house of two rooms on it, one room being upstairs and the other down. In this dwelling he and his family resided until 1917, keeping eight cows, which paid all expenses, his wages as butter maker being so much to the good. He also added to his land four acres adjoining the village. On July 14, 1917, Mr. Magnusson purchased the building and stock of the Bee Mercantile Company, a general store with a large stock, of which he has since remained the proprietor, also continuing his work in the creamery. His residential quarters are now in the same building as his store. On his land he has erected a frame bam, 26 by 42 by 12 feet, with an eight-foot stone basement for cattle and horses ; also a garage 12 by 18 feet. Energetic and enterprising, he has been successful and is now numbered among the prosperous and respected citizens of his township. He and his family are members of the Waterloo Ridge congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, the church building being located in Allamakee county, Iowa, about two miles from Bee village. To Mr. and Mrs. Magnusson have been bom four children: Inga, bom Sept. 3, 1898, who is a graduate of the Spring Grove high school, and is residing at home ; Christine, bom Jan. 26, 1900, who is clerk and assistant manager of her father's store; Bemt, born July 10, 1901; and Rebecca, bom Oct. 5, 1904. Mr. Magnusson's friends take considerable pride in his record as a butter maker, his work in fact having done a great deal toward establishing the record which this region enjoys as a dairy section. Among his cherished possessions are three medals, one gold and two silver, awarded as first and second prizes in contests conducted by the National Creamery Butter Makers' Association, for the best butter made from gathered cream in the United States.

Ole K. Myhre, one of the pioneer settlers of Wilmington township, was bom in Norway, where he grew to manhood and married. With his wife Sigri and several children he came to America in 1849, landing at Quebec from a sailing vessel, after a long voyage. From that port they proceeded to Stephenson county. 111., where they remained two years, removing in 1851 to Paint Creek, near Waukon, Iowa. Two years later they came to Wilmington township, Houston county, Minn., settling on land in section 27 that is now the K. 0. Myhre farm. This they grabbed, cleared and cultivated, erecting the original farm buildings. Mr. Myhre was not spared to see the full fruits of his labors, as he died about 1863, but the work of development was continued by his children. His wife survived him nearly half a century, dying at the home of her son, Ole O. Myhre, in section 21, Wilmington township, July 1, 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Myhre had eleven children - ^nine sons and two daughters, as follows : Christie, bom in Norway, who married E. H. Burtness, of Wilmington township, and is now deceased; Margit, bom in Norway, who died in this county; Lars, who died in Norway; Knute, now living in Wilmington township; Ole 0., previously mentioned; Swen, deceased ; Lars, a farmer of Buxton, N. D. ; Asle, a farmer of Rhineholtz, N. D.; Andrew, a farmer of Wilmington township; Olaus, deceased; and Martin, who is farming at Buxton, N. D.

Ole O. Myhre, one of the thriving farmers of Wilmington township, residing in section 21, was born in Stephenson county. 111., Jan. 26, 1851, son of Ole K. and Sigri Myhre. In the year of his birth his parents moved to near Waukon, Iowa, and then, two years later, to Wilmington township, Houston county, Minn., locating in section 27. There he was reared, attending a Norwegian school up to the age of fifteen years, and an English school during the winters for three years after that. Until 1875 he worked out as a farm hand, and then, in the spring of that year, bought 120 acres of improved land in section 21, Wilmington township, which was the nucleus of his present home. There were no buildings on the place, but he bought a small log house, 13 by 13 feet in size, and moved it onto the land. With this improvement to begin with he entered upon the work of developing a farm, gradually siding to his land until he owned 400 acres, all improved, and all in one piece except for a division by a roadway. He has since sold some of this land to two of his sons, his son Oliver obtaining 103 acres on the west, and his son Olaf 120 acres adjoining Oliver's on the north. The balance of about 181 acres constitutes his present farm, the buildings on which include: a good two-story eight-room frame house, of modem construction ; a frame bam, 30 by 60 by 20 feet, with a lean-to for cattle, 14 by 60 ; a granary, 26 by 28 by 14 ; double corn cribs, 20 by 20, with an eightfoot drive; a machine shed, carriage house and garage, 18 by 60; a hog house, 8 by 50, with a cement feeding floor and cook house; a cream separator house, ice house and summer kitchen. All the buildings are painted and in good condition, and are conveniently located with beautiful surroundings, while the farm land is in an advanced stage of cultivation, with hog-tight fencing wherever needed. The estate as a whole forms one of the best farms in southern Minnesota. Mr. Myhre's equipment is also first class, and includes, besides modem machinery, a fine automobile. He is engaged in diversified farming, giving particular attention to stock raising. His cattle are red graded Shorthoms, and he keeps from fifty to sixty Duroc-Jersey hogs, having full-blooded sires for each herd. He has attained a high degree of prosperity, and aside from his direct farming: interests, is a stockholder in the Honey Creamery at Bee ; the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Co. and the Spring Grove Hospital. He is also president of the Wilmington Farmers' Fire Insurance Co., and is one of the most prominent and influential men in his township. As such he has been often called upon to serve in public affairs. He has been clerk of his school district thirty-three years, was town clerk six years, chairman of the town board six years, assessor three years, supervisor two years and county commissioner eight years. In politics he is a Republican. With his family he is a member of the Wilmington congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, which he served as trustee for three years, as treasurer twelve years and as reviser fifteen years. He was also a member of the dividing committee which set off the original church into the four congregations of Spring Grove, Ricef ord. Black Hammer and Wilmington. In all these multifarious duties of a public nature which Mr. Myhre has performed he has shown good business capacity and integrity and has won the confidence of his feUow citizens. Mr. Myhre was married, March 24, 1876, to Margit, daughter of Ole and Margit Engen of Wilmington township. They have had the following children: Sigri, bom Jan. 2, 1877, now Mrs. A. O. Engene, of Wilmington township ; Olaf, bom Nov. 25, 1878, who died March 10, 1882; Marie, bom June 26, 1881, who died June 6, 1882; Marie (second), bom May 19, 1883, now the wife of Alfred Quinnell, a farmer of Northfield, Minn. ; Sophia, bom March 13, 1885, who is residing at home ;

Olaf (second), born July 9, 1887, who studied at the Minnesota Agricultural College and is now a prosperous farmer in Wilmington township; Oliver, bom Nov. 20, 1889, who was a student for two years in the Southern Minnesota Normal school at Austin, Minn., and is now a successful farmer in Wilmington township ; Martin, bom March 31, 1892, who is now working the home farm, which he has rented for the past two years ; Hilda, bora June 12, 1895, who attended the Minnesota Agricultural College, and is now clerk in a store at Caledonia; and Selma, bom May 26, 1898, who was a student in the Minnesota Agricultural College, and is now residing at home.

Hans Ellingson, one of the pioneers of Wilmington township, was a native of Norway, in which country he grew to manhood and was married to Aase Erickson in 1850. In 1854 he set out for the United States with his wife and three children, Gunild, EUing and Allen. On the voyage over EUing died and was buried at sea. With their remaining two children Mr. and Mrs. Ellingson proceeded west to Rock Prairie, near Beloit, Wis., where they resided for two years. In 1856 they came to Houston county, Minnesota, Mr. Ellingson buying 200 acres of unimproved land in section 31. He began at once to improve the place, and soon afterward another child, Guri, was born to him. In 1858 his wife Aase died, and he remained a widower until 1864, when he married Gunild Livdahl, who proved a good helpmate. Together they grubbed and developed the farm and in time built a substantial frame house of six rooms ; a frame barn, 30 by 50 feet ; a log granary and log corn crib, and other outbuildings. Mrs. Gunild Ellingson died on the farm in 1878, being survived by her husband, who passed away July 8, 1899. In addition to the daughter Guri, already mentioned, they had five others : Aase, now deceased ; Elize, now Mrs. A. A. Foss, of Spring Grove township; Julius H., the present proprietor of the old homestead; Gena, deceased ; and one other, who died in infancy.

Julius H. Ellingson, proprietor of the old Ellingson farm in Wilmington township, residing in section 31, was born on this farm, Dec. 24, 1870. son of Hans and Gunild (Livdahl) Ellingson. Being the only surviving son of his parents, he had to begin work on the farm at an early age, though he attended school up to the age of 14. In 1891 he bought the home farm from his father, who was a widower, but who continued to reside on it until his death in 1899. A year or two later, on Feb. 18, 1893, the subject of this sketch married Emma Flessa, daughter of Adam and Wilhelmina Flessa, of Allamakee county, Iowa, and they began domestic life on the Ellingson homestead, where they have continued to reside. To the original area of 120 acres Mr. Ellingson added an adjoining tract of the same size and 20 acres adjoining, which gives him a farm of 260 acres, of which 180 acres are under cultivation, the rest being in timber and pasture. He has also erected a number of buildings, including a two-story, ten-room, modern frame house, with f umace, gas light and running water, built in 1908 ; a frame bam, 31 by 65 by 16 feet, with an eight-foot stone basement, erected in the same year; a creosoted stave silo, a granary, double com crib, hog house with cement feeding floor, machine shed, garage, tool house and poultry house. -He also has a good well and a steel windmill, and his entire equipment of tools, teams and machinery is of the best. Mr. EUingson carries on diversified farming with good success. He raises graded Shorthorii cattle and Duroc-Jersey swine, having in each herd a blooded sire, and is also a shareholder in the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Company, the Honey Creamery, of Bee, Minn.; the Grata de Grat, a Belgian stallion, and the Spring Grove Hospital. He is also a member of the Spring Grove Equity Shipping Association. In politics he is a Republican. He and his wife are the parents of six children : Harry J., born Nov. 26, 1893 ; Minnie J., Jan. 14, 1896; Alvin, Nov. 8, 1898; James, July 1, 1903; Grant, Aug. 25, 1906; and Carlton, March 1, 1910. Harry J. is now proprietor of the Ed Woven farm in Wilmington township. Minnie J. is the wife of E. E. Livdahl, of Spring Grove township. The others are residing on the home farm. Mr. EUingson and his family are members of the Spring Grove congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, of which he is a liberal supporter.

Carl Oliver Wermager, a well known farmer of section 22, Wilmington township, was bom in Fillmore county, Oct. 20, 1886, son of Ole and Mari Wermager, the parents both being natives of this county, to which the grandparents came at an early day. Ole Wermager after his marriage bought 291 acres in section 22, Wilmington township, building on his farm a frame house and barns. From here he moved to Fillmore county, but later sold out there and removed to a large farm at Crookston, Minn., where he subsequently died. His wife Mari died in Fillmore county about 1898.

Carl Oliver, who was not strong in his youth, attended district school to the age of 15 years, and resided at home until he was 18, working out as a farm hand. He was married, Nov. 11, 1911, to Oline, daughter of Knute and Guri Buxengaard, of Wilmington township. In 1915 he bought 118 acres of the old home farm, where he is now residing, having 80 acres under the plow. The farm lies nine miles southwest of Caledonia and seven miles southeast of Spring Grove. Mr. Wermager has a good equipment and is profitably raising grade cattle and Poland-China hogs. He is an industrious worker and is enjoying a prosperous career. In politics he is a Republican. To Mr. and Mrs. Wermager three children have been bom: Marie Gedelia, April 3, 1912; Clara Odella, April 12, 1913; and Odine Kenneth, July 15, 1917. The family are members of the Wilmington congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical church, which is situated near their home, on a corner of the old Wermager homestead.

Ole S. Johnson, a highly respected citizen of Wilmington township, residing on a farm in section 9, though now retired from active work, was bom in Soknedalen, Ringereke, Norway, Jan. 13, 1843. Reared to manhood in his native land, he was there married, June 21, 1872, to Marie Ringrud, of Aadalen, Ringereke, Norway, who was born there Dec. 17, 1846. In 1880 Mr. Johnson, with his wife and four children, Johann, Mathilde, Bolette and Olava, came to Houston county, Minnesota, and engaged in agricultural pursuits, in which he has had a successful career. When he began he had but few resources, but through industry and sound judgment he has accumulated a competency. On retiring he rented the farm to his son-in-law, John W. Rud, husband of Olava. It is provided with a good two-story frame house and good barns, and is one of the best farms in this vicinity, lying four miles southeast of Spring Grove village. It is well equipped with a good grade of stock. Though Mr. J ohnson had few educational opportunities, he has through individual exertion acquired a good education. Since coming to this country he has made two trips to Norway, over which country he has traveled extensively, and through observation, reading and practice, he has developed a more than average degree of literary ability and has made a good reputation as an author. He has also shown much public spirit and has done many things to benefit the community in which he lives, especially in promoting the interests of his own countrymen. In politics he is a Republican, and in recent years has taken a warm and active interest in the temperance cause. Mr. Johnson has written and published a history relating to the emigration of the Norwegians to America and to Spring Grove and the active part taken by them in the development of Spring Grove and township, and Black Hammer and Wilmington townships.

Christopher Stegen, proprietor of a good farm of 100 acres in section 23, Wilmington township, was born in Hanover, Germany, Oct. 26, 1861, son of Christ and Katherine Stegen. He attended school in his native land up to the age of 14 years. When he was 15 his father died and after that he worked out as a farm hand until he was 20, at which time he came with his mother to the United States, settling near Eitzen village, Houston county, Minn. Here he worked out two years for different farmers, and after that five years for George Watson, on section 24, Wilmington township. On Feb. 21, 1889, Mr. Stegen was married to Emma, daughter of Henry and Mary Schoh, of Winnebago township, and he then began domestic life on his present farm in section 22, which he had bought in 1887, and which then contained but 80 acres. By an additional purchase he has increased its size to 100 acres, and has also developed it into a farm, as when he took possession but a small portion of the land had been broken and there were no buildings. In the first year he erected a frame house, built some sheds for temporary use, and fenced the farm, and he has since then made many other improvements. His house is now a comfortable frame dwelling of seven rooms ; and he has also a frame barn, 24 by 36 by 18 feet ; a granary, hay stable, horse barn, hog house, and a machine shed and horse stable combined, the machinery being housed above and the horses in the basement. Mr. Stegen's land, of which he has between 80 and 90 acres under the plow, is rich black prairie soil, very productive. He is successfully and profitably raising graded Shorthorn cattle and Berkshire hogs, having full-blooded sires, and is also a shareholder in the Wilmington Creamery Association. In politics he is a Republican, and religiously he and his family are members of the Eitzen congregation of the German Evangelical Lutheran church. To Mr. and Mrs. Stegen three children have been born : Martha, on May 2, 1890, who is now the wife of Arthur Deersen, a farmer of Wilmington township ; Anna, born May 22, 1893, wife of Fred Skarboszewski, butter maker in the Eitzen Creamery;

Mr. And Mrs. George M. Watson George L. Watson And Family

George Morton Watson, for many years one of the most prominent farmers and stock raisers of Wilmington township, but now deceased, was born in New Portland, Somerset county. Me., April 25, 1839, a son of John Watson. He came to Houston county, Minnesota, in 1864, locating in Wilmington township, where he worked for some time as a farm hand. On Dec. 25, 1867, he married Lucy Arnold, whose father, Amos Arnold, came to this region from Laurel Hill, R. L, in 1864. For several years Mr. Watson operated the farm for his father-in-law and then purchased it. It includes altogether 240 acres, of which 200 acres, constituting the farm proper, lies in section 24, Wilmington township, the other 40 acres being timber land just across the line in Winnebago township. It is known officially as Fairview Stock Farm, and was greatly improved and raised to a high standard of cultivation by Mr. Watson. Among the buildings he erected were the large two-story frame house of ten rooms; two frame barns, one measuring 30 by 100 by 18 feet, and the other 30 by 70 by 18 ; a . double corn crib, 26 by 70, with a ten-foot drive ; a machine shed, 24 by 40 ; and a horse bam, 32 by 48 by 18, with a half -basement for hog fatting. He also put in two good wells with steel windmills.

For forty years Mr. Watson bought, fed and shipped cattle, during the latter part of that period to the extent of thirty-five to forty loads annually, and his reputation as a successful stock raiser spread all over this part of the country. His farm was always kept in the finest condition, and his equipment was thoroughly modern and complete. In addition to this property he also owned an 80-acre farm a mile west, which he later sold to Christ Stegen, and was a shareholder in the Wilmington Creamery Company and the People's Stock & Grain Company, of Caledonia. After a long, enterprising and prosperous career he died in 1917, at the age of 78 years, highly honored and deeply mourned by a wide circle of friends. His wife is still residing on the farm with their only son, George L.

George Leander Watson, proprietor of Fairview Stock Farm in section 24, Wilmington township, was bom on this farm, Oct. 7, 1879, son of George Morton and Lucy A. (Arnold) Watson. From his early youth he was associated with his father in the management of the place, which is one of the best stock farms in the southern part of Houston county, and since the father's death in 1917 he has operated it alone. Of the total area of 240 acres he has 195 under the plow, the rest being in timber and pasture.

Mr. Watson carries on general farming and stock raising, making a specialty of Red Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs, having fullblooded sires at the head of each herd. It is to the breeding of hogs for the market, indeed, that Mr. Watson is devoting more and more of his attention. In addition to the extensive improvements made during his father's lifetime, he has erected a number of buildings to keep abreast of the increased demands of modern conditions. One of these is a garage for his five-passenger automobile. In 1919 he erected a frame hog house, 22 by 50 feet, with six-foot studs. The building is thoroughly sanitary, with a cement floor, and fully furnished with James equipment, there being a feeding platform of cement, 24 by 35 feet, and a corn crib, 35 by 10 by 6 feet. Energetic and enterprising, and possessing a thorough knowledge of farming in all its branches, Mr. Watson is enjoying a successful career, and is numlered among the most prosperous citizens of the township. In the county he is also well known, and is a director in the Houston County Agricultural Society. A Republican in politics, he has served as a member of the school board of his district. On Oct. 16, 1892, Mr. Watson was mari ied to Matilda Johnson, daughter of Anton and Thor (Blexrud) Johnson, of Blooming Prairie, Minn. She was born in Norway and came to this country with her parents when 3 years old. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Watson : Gertrude, May 10, 1903 ; Arthur Leander, Nov. 30, 1906; and Helen Olive, Sept. 1, 1914. The religious affiliations of the family are with the Portland Prairie M. E. church.

Herman Schoh, who owns and is scientifically operating a fine farm of 105 acres in section 24, Wilmington township, was born in Winnebago township, Houston county, Minnesota, Dec. 8, 1872, son of Henry and Mary (Brinkman) Schoh. The parents were bom in Hanover, Germany, the father in 1828 and the mother in 1834. The former came to America at the age of 18 and the latter at that of 13 years. After their marriage they became farmers in Winnebago township, where Henry Schoh died in 1906. His wife is still living. Herman Schoh attended the district school to the age of about 17 years, and resided on his parents' farm until he was 22 or 23. He then learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked from 1894 to 1904, when he gave it up to engage in farming, purchasing his present farm of 105 acres of improved land in sections 23 and 24, Wilmington township, which was known as the "Cord Metcalf farm," and is one of the oldest in the county. It is well fenced and has a good set of buildings, including a comfortable eleven-room frame house of one and a half stories, a frame barn, hog house, granary and carriage house. There is also a steel windmill and an excellent well, with a reservoir furnishing pressure, so that water is piped to all the buildings. Mr. Schoh also has a good equipment of teams, tools and machinery. He is engaged in diversified farming, keeping graded Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China hogs, with pure-bred sires tor each herd. He is also a stockholder in the Wilmington Creamery Company. Mr. Schoh was married April 27, 1904, to Augusta, daughter of Christophei and Gade Burmester, of Allamakee county, Iowa. He and his wife are members of the Eitzen congregation of the German Evangelical church, and are prominent in social circles. In politics he is a Republican. Mrs, Schoh was born in Germany and when 5 years old came to America iii 1882 with her parents, who settled in Iowa, where the father died January 1, 1883; the mother survived till November 9, 1910, when she too passed away. They were the parents of three children : William, Herman and Augusta, wife of Herman Schoh.

Ole Steneroden^ one of the first settlers in Spring Grove township, but now deceased, was a native of Norway, where he grew to manhood. United in marriage with Beret Sundet, he and his wife came to America in 1852, landing at Quebec, Canada, and proceeding thence to Rock Prairie, near Beloit, Wis., where they remained for about two years, cominir to

Houston county, Minnesota, in 1854, the year the county was organized. There were then few white settlers here, and the civilization of this region had hardly begun. Mr. and Mrs. Steneroden were very poor, but succeeded in buying a claim in Spring Grove township, one mile east of the present village. Though suffering many early privations, in time they prospered and were among those who helped to build the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church in Spring Grove. Mr. Steneroden died Oct. 7, 1900, and his wife Aug. 3, 1911. They were among the original pioneer settlers of the county and had witnessed its growth and development from an untamed wilderness to a highly civilized and wealthy section of the state. Their children were : Christian (first) , Guri, Erick O., Christian (second) , Elias, Gurine, Elsie and Ole. The first Christian died young. The second of the name is now a resident of Red Wing, Minn. Elias is a farmer in Saskatchewan, Canada. Gurine, who was the wife of 0. G. Myhre, of Huntly, N. D., died Dec. 18, 1917. Elsie and Ole are also deceased.

Erick 0. Steneroden, proprietor of Maple Grove Farm in section 21, Wilmington township, of which township he is one of the leading citizens, was born in Spring Grove township, one mile east of Spring Grove village, Jan. 10, 1855, son of Ole C. and Beret (Sundet) Steneroden. The previous year had witnessed the organization of the county, which was yet a wilderness with few white settlers. Here and there, however, a district school had been established, or was established in the succeeding years, and one of these young Erick attended up to the age of 19, though latterly during the winters only, as during the rest of the year his services on the farm were too valuable to be dispensed with. Nor did his education stop here, for he later attended three terms at the State Normal School at Winona and took a course of one year in the Wallace Business College at La Crosse. In the summer of 1876, being then 21 years old, he went to work as clerk in the general store of Nicholas Koob at Caledonia and remained there a year. The next important event in his life was his marriage, April 11, 1878, to Oline, daughter of Ole and Soneve (Tudahl) Sanness, of Wilmington township, and who was born on his present farm, Jan. 5, 1856. He now gave up the career of a merchant for that of a farmer, beginning in section 28, Wilmington township, where Olaus Sanness now lives. Buying the place, he operated it for five years, at the end of which time he sold it back to Mr. Sanness, who still lives on it. Mr. Steneroden now bought his present farm of 220 acres in section 21, which was, as already mentioned, his wife's birthplace. The land was improved and there was a frame house and barn. His own improvements, however, have been more thorough and comprehensive. The house, which he remodeled in 1902, is now a modern twostory residence of an upright and two wings, and containing nine rooms. His other buildings include a frame barn, 30 by 82 by 14 feet in size, with a full stone basement of eight feet, and modern equipment ; a hog house, 8 by 40, with cement feeding floor in front, 10 by 40; a granary, 18 by 28 by 14; machine shed, 14 by 50; double com crib, 20 by 20 with a ten-foot drive ; blacksmith shop, 14 by 20 ; feed cooking house, 10 by 10 ; a hayshed, 20 by 40, and other necessary buildings. The farm is well fenced, 170 acres being under the plow, and the rest in timber and pasture.

Mr. Steneroden has seven fine work horses, and his tools and machinery are all modern and of the best quality. He is carrying on diversified farming, giving particular attention to stock raising. For more than ten years he has been a breeder of graded Hereford cattle, keeping a herd of from 35 to 40 head ; also of Duroc-Jersey hogs, having full-blooded sires for all his stock. His horses are graded Percherons and Shires. He is also a shareholder in the Honey Creamery at Bee, the Spring Grove Stock & Grain Company and the Spring Grove Hospital, and for the past thirty-six years he has been secretary of the Wilmington Farmers* Insurance Company. Mr. and Mrs. Steneroden are the parents of the following children : Bessie Elise, born Dec. 20, 1878, now Mrs. Henry Bye, of McGregor, N. D.; Sophia, born in 1880, who died in infancy; Oscar Gerhard, bom Nov. 9, 1881, now deceased ! Olaus, born July 1, 1883, residing on the home farm ; Syrert Gerhard, born Feb. 14, 1885, now cashier in the State Bank of Hamburg, N. D.; Edwin Gerhard, bom July 3, 1892, now living at home; Vina Ovidia, born July 20, 1896, now a trained nurse at Red Wing, Minn. ; and Minnie Gurine, born July 26, 1898, who married Willie Gerhard Myhre, of Wilmington township, Sept. 1, 1918. Mr. Steneroden and his family are members of the Wilmington congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, of which he has been secretary for a number of years. A Republican in politics, he served his township many years as supervisor, treasurer and clerk, in which last named position he has done most efficient work for thirty-eight years. This family was one of those which gave a son to the service of the United States, Edwin G., a member of Company M, 54th Pioneer Infantry, having been a soldier about a year not only in this country and France, but also in the Army of Occupation in Germany.

Ole E. Robele, a retired farmer widely known and respected, residing in Wilmington township, where he developed a large and flourishing farm now divided among his children, was born at Rock Prairie, near Beloit, Wis., Aug. 11, 1853, son of Endre and Leve Robele. From the Norwegian settlement at that place the family came in 1854, when Ole was but a year old, to Houston county, taking land on the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of section 14, Wilmington township. There were but two or three families then in the neighborhood and the country was practically all wild and occupied by Indians, who, however, gave the settlers no trouble. The Robeles had but little money, but on their 80-acre tract they built a log cabin, after living for some months in a covered wagon, and then they started to grub and clear the land. There were then but two children inlhe family, Ole E. and an older brother, Knute, who is now a retired farmer living at Grand Forks, N. D. As the father prospered he bought other land adjoining until he was the owner of about 500 acres. In the meanwhile other children were born, namely : ToUef , who is now a retired farmer living near the subject of this sketch ; Serin, who is the wife of Nicolai Doley, of Wilmington township ; Bernt, who is a farmer in section 14, Wilmington township ; and Oline, wife of Ole Rask, a banker of Sisseton, S. D. These children as they grew up assisted their parents in developing the homestead, the boys helping their father in the field work, and the girls their mother in the care of the home. In time the old people passed away, Endre Robele dying at the age of 75 years on the farm he had created in section 14, and his wife at the age of 89 at the home of her son, Ole E., then and now in section 14. Ole E. had worked as his father's assistant until arriving at the age of 23 years. He then took a wife in the person of Lucretia Newhouse, born Dec. 1, 1854, daughter of Tollef and Kari Newhouse, of Spring Grove township, the marriage being celebrated July 3, 1876. For two years subsequently he operated the home farm, where he and his wife resided. Then in 1878 he bought 160 acres (the home lot) from his father, the latter building and moving into a house near by. For seventeen years he operated that farm and then, in 1895, bought 100 acres additional in sections 14 and 23, Wilmington township, which was known as the Knute Dahle farm, where he and his family now took up their residence, it being provided with a frame house, frame barn and granary. To these improvements he added others, in 1900 building a fine, two-story, twelve-room frame house, furnace-heated, and provided with running water, and he continued to improve and enlarge his property until he had 320 acres of fine farm land with numerous buildings, all substantial and well kept, and with a good operating equipment. As a stock raiser he gave his attention to breeding grade Shorthorn cattle and Poland-China swine, a branch of farming which he conducted very successfully, having pure-blooded sires for his herds. In 1913 Mr. Robele retired, selling his equipment to three of his sons and renting them the land, which they bought in 1918, each thereby acquiring a good farm with all necessary buildings. Since then he has made his permanent home with his son Edwin in section 14. His wife died Jan. 1, 1910, and was buried in the cemetery at the old Wilmington church. Mr. Robele was one of the organizers of and is now a stockholder in the Wilmington Creamery Association, and also owns stock in the People's Co-operative Stock & Grain Company, of Caledonia. He was formerly for a number of years an officer of his school district, and politically is a Republican. He is a prominent member of the Wilmington congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, which for years he served as a trustee. Few men in his township have done more to advance its agricultural interests, and few are better known or more highly respected. To Mr. and Mrs. Ole E. Robele were born the following named children: Andrew, now a traveling salesman living in Minneapolis ; Theodore, a traveling salesman residing in Spring Grove, Minn. ; Margido, a farmer in Wilmington township ; Edwin, who is living on the old home farm in section 14 ; Carl, a farmer in section 2, Wilmington township ; Oscar, on the home farm in section 23 ; Luida, wife of Louie Evenson, a farmer in section 16 ; Otto, William and Alma, who are deceased, the latter dying at the age of 21 years.

Ole N, Gjerdingen, one of the most prominent citizens of Wilmington township, who does an extensive business as a stock farmer, was born near Hadland, Norway, Sept. 16, 1854. In the summer of 1867, when in his thirteenth year, he accompanied his parents to America, landing in Quebec after a voyage of about three months in a sailing vessel. By steamer and rail the family came on to Houston county, Minnesota, reaching Spring

Grove June 27, and locating in the village, which at that time was very small. The father, however, found work at his trade, which was that of a carpenter, while Ole N., the subject of this sketch, was employed for two years on neighboring farms. After that he worked for two years with his father. Then going to New Albin, Iowa, he entered the employ of a builder and contractor, with whom he finished learning the carpenter's trade. At the age of 20 he began working at the trade for himself in Spring Grove and the surrounding territory, and did a considerable amount of building across the state line in Iowa. His parents, after a residence of nine years in this country, returned to Norway, where the father died two years later. After his death the mother came back to America and lived with her children until her death in 1906. These children, six in number, were all bom in Norway. One of them, Hans, is now in the hotel business at Halsted, Minn., while the other three now living, in addition to Ole, are Mrs. 0. P. Landsverk, residing half a mile south of her brother Ole's farm; Mrs. Lina Bergrud, of Spring Grove; and Mrs. Peter Benson, of North Dakota. Dec. 20, 1877, Mr. Gjerdingen was married to Bolita, daughter of Peter N. Landsverk, of Wilmington township, and soon after his marriage bought 60 acres of land in section 13, Spring Grove township, half a mile north of his present location, and there he and his wife began their domestic life. For 25 years he worked at his trade, at the end of which time he bought the beautiful farm in section 18 on which he now lives, and which was formerly the property of his father-in-law, who purchased the land from the government. Since taking possession of this place he has increased the area of the farm to 260 acres, of which over 200 are under the plow. In 1904 he built a comfortable frame house of two stories, an upright and wing, and containing seven rooms; and in the same year built a tool shed, 24 by 60 feet in size. In 1917 he erected a modern frame bam, 34 by 86 by 16 feet, on a full eight-foot stone basement, and which is thoroughly equipped with the James system of stalls and mangers. All the buildings are in good condition and the general equipment of the best. The farm is favored with a rich black soil resting on a good subsoil and is highly fertile. Mr. Gjerdingen gives considerable attention to stock raising, a branch of farming in which he has been highly successful. He has a fine herd of Hereford grade cattle, breeding from 40 to 50 head each year, while his output of Poland-China swine amounts to from 200 to 300 a year. Politically he is a Republican. He and his family are prominent members of the Spring Grove congregation of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran church, which he has served as trustee and in other important offices for years. He and his wife Bolita, who was born Nov. 3, 1852, have been the parents of five children, born as follows: William, Jan. 16, 1878; Clara, Oct. 4, 1880 ; Peter, Aug. 25, 1883, is also deceased ; Inga, Sept. 26, 1887 ; and Oscar, Nov. 21, 1890. Of these children, Inga died in her tenth year, April 29, 1897. Clara, who became the wife of Carl Bye, died April 15, 1907, leaving two children : Charlotte, bom July 28, 1904, and Clara, born March 16, 1907. On Dec. 22, 1918, Mr. Gjerdingen retired from active farm labor and moved to Spring Grove, his son Oscar now renting the farm.

Herbert L. Lapham^ a well known and respected resident of section 13, Wilmington township, who in addition to his own farm of 60 acres is operating the old home farm of his parents near by, was born on Portland Prairie, near his present place of abode, Aug. 13, 1869. His parents, Levi L. and Sarah (Healy) Lapham, were natives of Rhode Island and Massachusetts and were among the early Rhode Island settlers in this vicinity. Here he was reared to manhood and trained to agricultural pursuits, in which he has since continued. His own farm, though small, is one of the best of its size in the county, being well equipped as to buildings, tools and machinery, and having a good fertile soil. Mr. Lapham breeds graded cattle and hogs, making a specialty of pure-bred Aberdeen-Angus cattle, and his operations, including, as they do, the management of the old home farm, are quite extensive. He is also a stockholder in the People's Cooperative Stock & Grain Company, of Caledonia. Mr. Lapham was married at Pope's Prairie, Houston county, Oct. 6, 1892, to Flora I. Taylor, daughter of Winston and Sabrina Taylor, who came from New York State and settled on Pope's Prairie in 1855, the father dying in 1911 and the mother in 1894. Mr. and Mrs. Lapham have been the parents of six children: Florence J., bom Oct. 30, 1893, and died June 16, 1894 ; Lola L., bom Aug. 1, 1895 ; Grant T., born Feb. 5, 1898 ; Glayds H., born April 7, 1903 ; Bernice, bom June 12, 1895 ; and Eloise, born Oct. 4, 1907. The son, Grant T., served in the great war with the Coast Artillery and saw three months of active service in France, participating in the Battle of Chateau Thierry, in the Argonne, and along the Meuse River. One of the daughters, Lola L., graduated from the rural school course in the Winona Normal School in 1918. The family stands high in the community as staunch Americans in ideals and sympathies. Their home, always open to their friends, is a center of hospitality and culture, and every member of the family is doing his or her share toward material progress along social, religious, patriotic, educational and agricultural lines. During the war the daughters helped with the farm work and established an enviable record for helpfulness and patriotism. The family are members of the Portland Prairie M. E. church, situated near the old home.