Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 8, 1905

Wilton

MARTIN KRASSIN AND JOHN G. GREENING - FIRST SETTLEMENT IN ST. MARY - FIRST LOG CABIN TO BURN IN THE SETTLEMENT - JOSEPH AND ABRAHAM BIRD, JOHN WHITE - BERNARD GREGORY AND MR. TOWER - JOHN AND DAVID JENKINS LOCATE IN WILTON.

Martin Krassin and John G. Greening, next to Mr. Sutlief, Avere the oldest land lookers of the county. Martin was a native of Prussia, born in the year 1821, and came to America with his family in July, 1854, stopping temporarily with his brothers, near Princeton, Wisconsin. He left his young wife there in the fall of 1854. and with Greening made an extensive tour of Minnesota, the greater part of the way on foot. They passed through this section, pushed on to the Minnesota river, thence down that stream and on to St. Paul, whence they proceeded to La Crosse by boat, and thence to Krassin 's family in Wisconsin. As soon as grass started the next spring, i\Ir. Krassin, in company with his father and mother, his wife and one child, his brother, John F. ; his brother-in-law Gottlieb Prechel, who was accompaned by wife ;;,nd children; his voungest sister, Justina, now Mrs. J. E. Child; Fred Wobschall, Fred Proechel (Big Fred) ; and John G. Greening and family, made preparations to move to i\Iinnesota. The journey was a toilsome one, and they did not arrive until about the first of June, 1855.

They intended at first to settle about where Steve Krassin has a farm near the southwest corner of St Jlary township, but they soon learned that the Winnebago Indians owned the western tier of sections in St. Mary, and they were obliged to seek other loca- tioiis. :\rartin, his father, Gottlich, Si-., and his brother, John F., iiifidc claims in sections 84 and 35. Fred Prechel, then a single man, made his claim in section 34, next to .Martin's. Fred Wobschall, also a bachelor at that time, made his claim in section :i5, where he resided up to the time of his death. All of these were in St. ^lary township, (iottlieb Prechel and family first settled in the same township, on section 312, but the next year exchanged with Christian Krassin and settled mi section 27, in St. ]\Iary, where Mr. Prechel resided with his family until his death. John (i. (ireeiiins. who came with the Krassins. was the first blacksmith to settle in the county, and he decided to make bis home in the town of Otisco, on section 7. He constructed the first dugout in tlie county. Late that fall, his loj^- cabin took lire and was consumed. It was too late to build another, so he tiuji' out a house in a side-hill, covered it with hay and sdd. and livinl there during the winter very comfortably.

Very soon after the arrival of .Alartin Krassin and his company, two brothers, Joseph Bird and Abram Bird, and their brother-inlaw, John White, with their families, settled in the vicinity of M'liat has since been known as St. ilary. Abram Bird settle.l on .section 4, Wilton; Joseph Bird on Si-etion 32, St. :\Iary; and John Whiti', on section 33 of the latter town. The Bird brothers and their sister, .Mrs. White, were English by birth, while John White was a native of the Emerald Isle. The Birds were industrious and successful farmers. Aliram died in February, isiiit, leaving a widow and several children. .Joseph, about 187(1, sold his farm and removed to Oreudii. John White some years auo removed to Iosco, Avliere he died.

Almo.st simultaneously with the settlement of the IMessrs. Bird and White, came Bernard (iregory and his brother-indaw named Tower, with their families. The Tower family renuiined long enough to help .Mr. (;reg(ii-y build his log house on section 32. St. Mary, and then pushed on further west into what was then ealletl the Blue Earth valley. Mr. (iregory's family consisted of his wife, two daii.uliters, women gnnvn, and three stuis somewhat younger. Louise A. (iregory, the elder daughter, nmrried a Mr. Ballard. She died Au-ust If), 1S7S, aged forty-one year;., five months and twelve days. Martha, the younger, became the wife of Mr. Robert B. iMoore, of this county. She passed 'jiwav De- eemeber 5, 1875, aged thirty-seven years, six months and thirteen days. ]\Ir. Gregory died in this county July 12, 1880, aged eightyone years, five months and thirteen days. His vi^ife, Amanda C, died February 28, 1883, aged sixty-seven years, eight months and fourteen days. Austin, the oldest son, died in 1888. Mr. and Mrs. Gregory were kind hearted, agreeable toward strangers, and, during their first year's residence, kindly entertained many a weary traveler. Peace to their ashes.

The latter part of June, the same year, Andrew Scott and wife, parents of Chris. Scott, accompanied by their son, Charles D. Scott, with his wife, came on from Wisconsin. The old gentleman was a "character," having some peculiar ways. He first made a claim on section 24, in Wilton, which he sold to John Jenkins, and then made one on section 13, in the same town. After much suffering from blood poison, which commenced in his feet, the old gentleman died about 1863 in Wilton. C. D. Scott made his claim on the town line between Otiseo and Wilton, in sections 13 and 18, where he lived for many years, but always in poor health. He finally lost nearly all his property. He died several years ago.