Waseca County, Minnesota - Chapter 11, 1905

Grove, Janesvillb, And Byron

Samuel F. Wyman, Michael Johnson, Jonathan Howell, and A. J. Bell took their claims in Blooming Grove early in the spring of 1855. They were all then single men. They built a little log hut on Bell's claim, and commenced batching. At the end of about two years IMessrs. Wyman and Bell tired of that kind of single blessedness and quit, leaving Johnson and Howell to go it alone. These two bachelors lived together as such about seven years more, when Mr. Johnson married and became a permanent resident. Mr. Howell remained single to the time of his death, which occurred in 1880. Bell afterwards became a resident of Faribault, and Mr. Wyman, who will be noticed more fully in biographical sketches, became a resident of Waseca.

The same season, in the month of June, Christian Remund, with his family, made his claim on sections 8 and 9, where he has since made his home. He was born in Switzerland November 21st, 1830, came to America in March, 1850, lived five years in Illinois, and there married, October 21st, 1851, Anna Bumgerdner, who was also a native of Switzerland. They arrived at their Minnesota home June 28, 1855, and lived in their covered wagon until October of that fall. (See biographical sketch.)

Wm. M. Gray and family settled on section 33, in this to^vnship, in June, 1855. jMr. Gray was born in Genesee county. New York in 1806. In 1836 he married Miss Lucina Fuller, who was also a native of the same state. They came to this place from

Iowa and resided here the remainder of their lives. I\rr. Gray died in 1872, and ]Mr.s. Gray died a few years later. They were very estimable people and highly respected.

J. M. Blivens and family settled on section 32, in this township, in the summer of 1855, where they lived for several years, when they removed to ^lissouri. The settlement in the early days bore Jlr. Blivens' name.

jMr. Curtis Hatch, a blind man, with quite a family, settled in section 15. He sold his claim here after a short time and moved into the western part of the county. He afterwards moved to Dakota and died in ^iloody county in 1884. ;\lrs. H. P. Chamberlain is his daughter and came with her parents to Blooming Grove.

Samuel and Luther Dickenson, of Vermont, settled in the township this year. Luther returned to Vermont during the hard times of 1858, but Snmuel remained until 1860, when he sold his farm and removed to Le Sueur county.

M. P. Ide, son of Col. J. C. Idc, with his young wife, was among the 1855 settlers of Blooming Grove, on section 14 or 15. He afterwards moved to Wilton, enlisted in Company F, Fifth :\linnesota regiment, infantry, served during the war, and afterwards lived near llorristown.

Simeon Smith was another of the 1855 settlers. He located on sections 31 and 32, in the month of June, lie was an honest, industrious, well-to-do man, who lived to see the wilderness, A^'hich he found here, blossom as the rose. He died November 6, 1872, aged 78 yeai's, hoiK.i-ed and remembered by nimierous friends and acquaintances.

Alfred C. Smith, son of Simeon, with Ills young wife, accompanied his father, anti made a claim on section 5, of Woodville, where he lived until his father's death, when he took charu-c of his father's estate. It might be well to remark in passinuOthat Sir. A. C. Smith lins the honor of lieing the father of the first white girl horn in the county. Her name is Lovica. She was born Odolier 15, 1855, and is now Mrs. H. X. C^irlton. Ole Knutson, now of county, also setth>d in Blooming (irove in 1855.

The first death among th,> old settlers of the township was that of ll,..,ry Howell, m native of England. He was returning from Fiiribault with liis brother .lonathan, an.l, when about half a mile east of Morristown, got out of the sleigh to walk and thus ^varm himself. His brother, unbekno^vn to him, stopped in Morristown, and he continued towards home on foot. Jonathan, after waiting awhile, supposing Henry had proceeded homeward, drove home, only to find that he had not arrived. The next day, after considerable search, his body was found near the Bassett farm, a mile south of Morristown, with life extinct. He no doubt became bewildered on the prairie, and, being rather thinly clad and the night a cold one, soon froze to death. He left surviving him three daughters.

The records of this township for the first ten years of its existence are missing; and the best that can be done is to give Avhat can be picked up here and there from other sources. It is among the early traditions that the first white settlers in Janesville were a man named John Douglas and another named Hughes. They did not become permanent settlers, but removed, shortly afti.Twards, further west. The next settlers were two dissolute characters, Alfred Holstein and John Davis. Davis claimed a portion of section 28, and Holstein a portion of section 27. Their principal business was trading with the Indians, and, by common reputation, they dealt mostly in whisky and tobacco - Davis, especially, being a great drinker himself. Both of them were social, friendly, and kind hearted to all comers, but their ideas of morality and decency were not of high grade. Davis finally went to one of the Carolinas. Holstein was sent to state prison by a United' States court for stealing horses from the Winnebago Indians. A man named John Rowley settled on section 9, the same summer and became a long-time resident.

James, Thomas, John and Jerry Hogan, four brothers, came from tlie state of Kentucky in 1855, and settled in the timber on the west side of Lake Elysian. These were among the hardy pioneers that came here to make homes for themselves and their children, and they became permanent settlers.

]Mr. Patrick Moonan made a settlement in this township the same year. "Mr. Moonan was born in County Louth, Ireland, jMarch 17, 1825; came to America in 18H and settled in Janesville. Mrs. Moonan 's maiden name was Mary A. Delaney and they were married in 1853. Mr. Moonan was in business at Janes- ville for several years. He came to Waseca in 1882, and built the Sheridan House, now called the Waverly hotel, where he carried on the business until 1887, when he sold out and removed to Minneapolis with his family. He afterwards returned to Waseca, where he died November 22d, 1899. John Moonan, Esq., the well-known attorney of Waseca, is his son.

John McCue, who became a wealthy farmer of the county, and his brothers, James and Patrick, also came that summer. James remained a bachelor and died in 1885, on the McCue estate. Patrick removed to Parker's Prairie, in this state, while ^Mr. John ilcCue removed to iiissouri, where he became more wealthy than he was here. He finally went to California, where he died about 1893.

John Cunningham was one of those first-class men who settled in Janesville in 1855. He made his claim on section 29, where he resided until his death, August 30, 1870. He was one of the first to respond to the call for men to fight the Indians in 1862, and enlisted October 4th, with ten other men from this county, in Company B, First Minnesota ^Mounted Rangers, and served until the close of the Indian war. He married Mrs. ]\Iary Crawford, widow of AV. H. Crawford, one of the early settlers of this county. At the breaking out of the war ^iv. Crawford was murdered by Texas rebels for the awful crime of being a northern republican.

Jeremy Davis and family were among the 1855 settlers and made the first claim in the toAvn of Byron, settling on the northwest quarter of section 34, where they lived imtil the death of Mr. Davis, which occurred September 13, 1868.

Daniel C. Davis, son of Jeremy, came with his father in 1855. Having just reached his majority, he also took a claim and became a permanent resident of the township. He took a homestead on sections 28 and 33 after the homestead law took effect. He was married July 18, 1861, to ]Miss Frances Pavvin, daughter of Islv. B. Parvin, who settled in the coiinty in 1860.

remember, or learn, of all those who settled in the county prior to the year 1856. That I have forgotten some names and incidents in fifty years is altogether possible and quite probable.

There were, however, some experiences peculiar to that first year's settlement Avhich will never be forgotten by those who passed the winter of 1855-6 in this county.

In writing this history, I shall endeavor to present the facts, as nearly as possible, in the order of their occurrence; and I knoAv nothing that can be more interesting to future generations of our children, or to the living, than a truthful record of the real dangers and hardships then encountered by the men and women that have made it possible for the present thousands of people in the county to live in the midst of plenty, and with all the advantages of advanced civilization about them.