Bancroft Township

Bancroft Township

Bancroft township is one of the center subdivisions of Free¬ born county, being separated by one tier from the north, and an equal distance from east and west county lines. Its contiguous neighbors are Bath township on the north, Riceland on the .east, Albert Lea on the south, and Manchester on the west, embracing the territory of town 103, range 21, containing thirty-six sections, or 23,040 acres, of which there are very few unsuitable for agri¬ cultural purposes, and the greater part is already under a high state of cultivation. The township has no lakes and no streams of importance. Bancroft creek is the principal one ; rising in the northwestern part of the town, it takes a southerly course and finally enters Fountain lake. A small body of water, known as Itasca lake, covers a few acres of land in the southwestern portion of section 31. The general makeup of the locality would be called prairie and oak openings. The early settlers say that originally at least three-fourths of the area of the town was covered with a growth of burr and jack oak and other timber of the smaller varieties, interspersed with natural meadows and prairie. The greater part of the former growth of timber has been removed, and the rich country transformed into beautiful and productive farms. There are, however, a number of groves left which mark the remains of former miniature forests. A strip' of valuable prairie, known as the Paradise or Itasca prairie, enters the town in the southwestern corner and extends north¬ easterly almost across the entire town, gradually disappearing towards Clark's grove. The locality known as Oak Hill is the most elevated tract of land in the township, taking its name from the variety of timber with which it was formerly covered. It makes itself visible on the surface in the northwestern extrem¬ ity of the town, and extends easterly across the entire township, embracing the northern tier of sections. The soil on the prairie is mostly a rich dark loam underlain with a rich sub-soil of clay ; while in the timber, or oak opening, it is of a lighter nature, with a marked tendency to clay and a sub-soil of sand and gravel.

Bancroft township has a Norwegian Lutheran Church and cemetery in the central part of section 20, and another Nor¬ wegian Lutheran Church and cemetery in the northern part of section 25. Itasca and Bancroft villages, now extinct, were located in this township, as is the county alms house and poor farm at

Early Settlement. The Colby family, the members of which arrived in Freeborn county in 1855 and 1856, were interested in the village of Itasca, in Bancroft township, but their home was in section 6, Albert Lea township.

The township of Bancroft was settled by Norwegians at a very early day, a few arriving in 1855, and more in 1856. When Yegger Gulbrandson, who has thoroughly investigated the early Norwegian settlements, arrived in Hayward, in 1856, there was already a large colony in Bancroft, among whom may be men¬ tioned Christopher Mikkelson and wife, Lars Mikkelson and wife, Andrew Olson, Guttorm Botolfson and wife, Endre Botolfson, John Hermanson and wife, Daniel Peterson, Peter Clausen, Charles Peterson and Charles Olson, as well as several others. Several of these, while belonging to the Bancroft colony, lived over the line in Albert Lea township.

In 1856, Benjamin Frost and a large family settled in section 19, Bancroft township, and Chas. B. Matthews located just over the line from Albert Lea. In the meantine the northern part of the town began to receive the attention of the early comers; but claims were getting scarce, and in the same ratio that they were scarce, so they became valuable. The settlement north of the center of the town was more universally known as the ''Oak Hill" neighborhood. A. C. Hall, a native of Maine, was the first to make his appearance, and he selected his domain in sections 5 and 8, in the middle of September, 1856, where he put up a shanty and made some improvements; but was not really an actual settler, as he soon sold out and removed to Iowa. Andrew Barlow was the next to arrive, making his appearance in Sep¬ tember. He walked from McGregor, Iowa, and took a claim on Pickerel Lake. While he was in Albert Lea after supplies his claim was jumped and he came to Bancroft. In the winter he went back to Iowa, but this claim also was jumped, and when he finally returned with his family, in the spring of 1857, he purchased the farm back for $20. H. R, Loomis, from Erie county, Pennsylvania, came by stage from Dubuque to near Merry s Ford, on the Cedar river, Iowa, and from there he walked to Bancroft, arriving and selecting his place on the first day of November, 1856. He erected a small shanty and made some improvements and bought a yoke of oxen. December 26 he started with his oxen to Delaware county, Iowa, and remained there until February, 1857, when he returned, bringing with him his sister, Louisa Loomis, and Oscar and Fannie Ward. The last two named were aged twenty and fifteen years, respectively. The entire party came in a sleigh, camping out on the way, finally arriving at Benjamin Frost's house, in the southeastern part of town, where the manager of the party, Mr. Loomis, left them and proceeded to his selected home in section 8, where he made a fire and prepared to entertain his guests. The balance of the party, whom he had left at Frost's, followed on foot, on the top af the snow, there being a heavy crust. They arrived in safety, and William Oscar Ward selected a farm for his father, a most prom¬ inent and popular man. Early in the fall of 1857, Jeremiah Ward, a native of New York, father of Oscar and Fannie, arrived and located upon the place selected for him, and lived upon it until 1879, when he passed aAvay. About this time Ole Hanson came to the township. Early in the spring of 1857, Albert Loomis, from Erie county, Pennsylvania, came to the home of H. R. Loomis and immediately took a claim adjoining in section 9, where he made his home for about ten years, when he went back to Pennsylvania. About a week later, Cyrus Prescott, a native of Maine, who had made his home from childhood in Ohio, made his appearance in the town, coming by way of Hastings ; and making a claim in section 5, he took up his abode with H. R, Loomis' people while he improved his property. Later in the season] Cyrus' father, Daniel, joined his son, and made him a home in section 4. In June, 1857, the next pioneer drifted in, in the person of William H. Long, a native of Newark, N. J., who located on a farm in sections 5 and 8. In the spring of 1882 he removed to the city of Albert Lea. Nicholas J. Sandburg also came in 1857, as well as Ole I. Ellingson, Andrew J. Luther and Ole 0. Styve.

In the spring of 1858, Charles Dills, a native of the Empire state, came and purchased a place in section 9, of Charles E. Teneycke, who had previously secured it. Ere this time nearly two-thirds of the land in this locality was taken up by actual settlers, and already a stride in the advance of civilization was perceptible. Among those who had arrived a few more will be chronicled. George H. Prescott, who located in section 4 ; G. Thompson, who took land in section 8; Andrew Knudson took land in section 9. Messrs. Wells and Clark took land, but soon left.

Jeremiah Ward was another pioneer. He was a carpenter and stone mason by trade. Ole Midthun also came in 1858. Others who were associated with the early history of the town¬ ship were : Henry N. Ostrander, who came in 1859 ; E. K. Pickett and Erick Johnsrud, in 1860; H. P. Jensen, in 1864; Peter Finton, in 1875; A. N. Rice, in 1877; Tom Oleson, in 1879; Eugene Chamberlain and Rev. Johan T. Ylvisaker, in 1881.

being John Raiser and Margaret Baker. The event took place in the "old-time" village of Bancroft, the ceremony being performed by the Rev. S. G. Lowry, a Presbyterian minister. The first death of a matured person was that of Margaret Horning, in April, 1859. Her remains were deposited in the graveyard at Albert Lea. Martin Mikkelsen was the first white child born in the township.

Official Record. The first meeting in the township for the pur¬ pose of effecting the organization of Bancroft, was held May 11, 1858, at the house of Ole Olson. The meeting came to order by the appointment of N. H. Ellickson, chairman; W. N. Oliver, moderator, and J. M. Clark, clerk. E. D. Porter and Gardner Frost were elected overseers of roads, and a resolution was then adopted declaring that all cattle, mules, and horses, except stal¬ lions over two years of age, could run at large. The election of officers was next taken up, and the following gentlemen for the various positions of trust were declared elected: Supervisors, D. Blakely, chairman; J. M. Clark, and C. C. Colby; clerk, G. M. Frost; assessor, Daniel Prescott; treasurer, Ole Ellingson ; over¬ seer of poor, Henry Loomis ; justices of the peace, S. Hanson and S. S. Watson; constables, PI. Bedells and R. G. Franklin. For several years the annual meetings were held at the store in Ban¬ croft.

Itasca Cemetery. This historic burial ground is located in the southwestern part of section 31, on land originally owned by A. M. Burnham. In 1861, Samuel Henderson, a resident of Pick¬ erel Lake, died, and was the first person buried here. Others7 remains were also deposited here, and about the year 1870 the grounds were regularly arranged, platted, and set aside for the purpose. This location was selected by Mrs. Burnham. She also selected the last resting place that her remains now occupy. The cemetery, which is now practically abandoned, was surveyed in 1873, by II. C. Lacy, whose burial there, at his own request, some ten years ago, was the last interment in the grounds. The original trustees of the cemeterv were : A. M. Johnson, A. M. Burnham, Isaac Botsford, and Hanibal Bickford.