Manchester City

Manchester City

This township lies in the second tier from the north and also second from the western line of Freeborn c-ountv. Its contiguous surroundings are Hartland on the north, Bancroft on the east, Pickerel Lake on the south and Carlston on the west. It contains 11,689 acres less than a full congressional township, because of the "correction line" of the survey, and has thirty-six sections, comprising the territory of township 103, range 22, in all about 22,923 acres. Originally the greater part of the town was cov¬ ered with timber of small varieties, such as burr and black oak, maple, basswood, black walnut, butternut, ash and elm, inter¬ spersed with natural meadows and prairie land. The southwest¬ ern part of the town was principally burr oak opening land, except in sections 28 and 29, where is found the sugar maple, which is still to a considerable extent intact. The greater part of what was originally timber land is now under a high state of cultivation. The entire northwest portion of the town is a rolling prairie, and is among the best of farming land. The soil, as a rule, is a dark rich loam of from two to three feet in depth and underlaid with a subsoil of clay : but this is particularly applica¬ ble to the timber land, as on the prairie a lighter tendency is ap¬ parent, while the subsoil is of clay and sand. All the land is very productive and well adapted to the mode of cultivation and crops of the latitude. The prairie land is made picturesque by groves of domestic poplar, which have been planted and well cared for by the thrifty settlers. The township is well watered and has its full complement of small lakes and water courses. A cluster of small lakes is found in the southwestern part of the town, and on the map appear the names of Lake Peterson, Sugar lake, Silver lake and Lake AYhitney, which are all near together on sections 20, 21, 28, 29 and 30. The only one of these having an outlet is

History Of Freeborn- County

Lake Peterson, from which a small stream taking a southeasterly course finally leaves the town via section 36 and enters Bancroft township. South of this cluster of lakes, in section 32, Spring Lake infringes upon and covers a few acres of land. A small body of water known as Gun lake is located in the eastern part of section 9. School Section lake is located in the southeastern por¬ tion of the town, in section 36. There is but one village in the township, Manchester, located in section 15. The surface of the town is rolling, and although in places inclined to be rather abrupt in its modulations, is not hilly or in any place broken suf¬ ficiently to be detrimental to agriculture. The town is well adapted to agricultural purposes and has a large cultivated area yielding good crops of the cereals.

Early Settlement. The earliest attempt at settling this town commenced in 1856, when, on June 6 of that year, S. S. Skiff, a native of New York, came from Wisconsin and took a claim in section 26, where he remained until 1858, and then returned to Wisconsin, where he stayed until 1860, after which year he again returned to this locality. He made this his home until 1880 and then removed to the town of Alden. He was probably the first settler. He had, however, been here only a week, when there arrived, June 15, 1856, a party from Iowa, who were originally from Norway, but who had lived for some time in Winneshiek county, Iowa, before coming here. In the latter part of the same month there arrived another party of Norwegians, who came here from Rock county, Wisconsin. These two parties of Norwegians consisted of the following heads of families : Gunder and Rollef Thykeson; Tosten, Knud and Ole K. (Knudson) Morreim; Stiner Mikkel Mikkelson; Nils Wangen; Ole and Per (Peter) Fossum; Anders (Andrew) Everson Lybeck; Thor Anderson; Ole and Halvor Slette (Peterson) ; Ole Kittleson; Ole 0. Klappe; and pos¬ sibly others. All of these remained except two. Stiner Mikkel Mikkelson moved to Blue Earth City in 1864 or 1865, and Ole 0. Klappe went to Bancroft in 1858, going south in 1864. Hans K. Kjonaas is also said to have come with this colony.

Among others who are honored as early settlers of Manchester township are : Mathias Anderson, John Johnson, Charles John¬ son, Lewis 0. Olson, Iver A. Rodsater, S. B. Smith, E. Stanley Smith, Harrison Hord, William Young, who died in the army; Siveri Johnson, Erick Olson Aasen, Lewis Beach, Horace M. Beach, John 0. Jordahl, John Sippel, Jens 0. Jenson (Johnson), Carl Gustaveson, Sivert Thoreson, Charles Bickford, Ole Jordahl, James H. Chamberlain, Peter Huber, Andrew Severson, Bennett Asleson, John Ellingson, Dennis Sippel, Frank Sippel, E. A. Skiff, George Wadsworth, E. D. Hopkins, George Chamberlain, John Hildebrand, 0. J. Taylor, A. M. Johnson, A. K. Norton, F. B.

Fisher, Daniel Hall, John 0. Hall, Mads Olson, Edmond AY. Hall, Hans Christopherson, H. Gilbert Barden, Mads Madsen, Halvor Kittleson ; Ole, Gislle 0. and Lewis L. Grasdalen and parents, Nels Ackland, Hanibal Bickford (owned land here), Peter Romanson, Elliott Ash, John Asleson, Claus Flindt, J. H. Converse, Lars Severson, Hans R. Ramsey, Andrew Anderson, B. N. Anderson, Cicero Carey, M. 0. AYhitnev, Nels Johnson, Daniel Johnson, Ole H. Grotsan, Lewis Hallum. William D. Smith, Even J. Hallum, Edward Gilbertson, August Wisliman, Pardon Tucker, Carl Leonard, Wolcott Allen, Charles Grandv, Andrew Moon. Nels Nelson, Jacob Baker, L. J. Spilde, Ambrosio Moen, S. S. Morlev, Ole Peterson, Ole M. Olson, Ole Sveningson, Anton Rebbe, Henrv Hoelscher, David and John Ames, and others. It is interesting to note that the northern four tier of sections were settled by Nor¬ wegians, the southern two tier by German Catholics and Ameri¬ cans.

Early Events. Mikkel Mikkelson was born in September, 1856, this being the first birth in the township. In December, 1858, occurred the first wedding, Mads Madson, who died in 1880, being the groom. Previous to this Manchester Norwegians had gone back to Iowa to be married. The first death was that of Peter Johnson, in August, 1858. The first religious services in the town were held in June, 1858, at the residence of Ole Peterson, in section 15, by a Lutheran clergyman. The church organization was not effected until 1876. The first house in the township was erected in June, 1856, by Gunder Thykeson. on section 9. It was a log building, 12x14 feet, and was afterward used as a stable. Stiner Mikkelson in July, 1856, the following month, erected the second house of the same material, and this was subsequently used as a blacksmith shop. At an early day a number of the pioneers in a rude way manufactured sorghum by Using three wooden home-made rollers, propelled by a yoke of oxen, for a press ; but this crude machinery has long since been supplanted by the pat¬ ent process and new machinery. It is claimed that Mathias Anderson, who came from the town of Manchester, Boone county, Illinois, gave to this township its present name. Originally town meetings were held in private houses and anywhere that shelter could be found, and later in the schoolhouse of district 18, in sec¬ tion 22. The first blacksmith shop was erected in 1856 and oper¬ ated by Mr. Mikkelson on the northwest quarter of section 15. In 18b4 and 65 he sold out and went to Blue Earth county. In 1858 the next shop was erected in section 13, size 12x14 feet, and put in operation by Lewis Olson. It was of logs, with a log and sod roof, and was operated by him until about 1873, when it changed hands.

did its full share during the war of the rebellion. Of those wTio volunteered and went into the service, nine never returned, find¬ ing graves in Southern soil. S. Benson was the only married man of the departed heroes ; he left a wife and two children to mourn his loss. The rest were all single men and most of their parents resided in the town at the time. Manchester voted bonds to the amount of $4,000 for the purpose of securing volunteers to fill the quota assigned the town, which amount was duly paid and recruits secured. The Jensons (Johnson) had five sons in the war, three being killed.

Official Organization. The first town meeting, at which the organization was effected, was held at the house of Ole Peterson, May 11, 1858. After the usual preliminaries the meeting was called to order and the polls opened for the election of town offi¬ cers for the ensuing year. Upon counting the ballots the follow¬ ing candidates were found to have the number of votes set op¬ posite their names, as follows :

For chairman of supervisors, Mathias Anderson received twenty-five votes ; E. S. Smith, seven. Supervisors, Ole Peterson and Tosten Knudson, unanimously elected, thirty-two votes each. Clerk, James E. Smith, thirty-two. Assessor, Bennett Asleson, twenty-five ; Mathias Anderson, seven. Collector, Thomas Ander¬ son, thirty-two. Overseer of the poor, John Ellingson, thirtytwo. Constables, Charles Olson and David Ames, each thirty-two votes. Justices of the peace, James E. Smith and T. Olson, thirtytwo votes each. Overseer of roads, Charles Olson, twenty-five ; Ole Peterson, seven. There were in all thirty-two votes cast.

Farmers' Mutual Insurance Company of Manchester. This corporation, instituted for the protection of the farmers from fire and lightning, is growing rapidly each year. The company was organized at the Central church of the Freeborn Norwegian Luth¬ eran Congregation on the seventh of December, 1876, on which day the following officers were elected : President, O. Peterson ; secretary, I. A. Rodsater ; treasurer, 0. Narveson ; directors, E. C. Johnson, K. Ingebrigtson, A. N. Teslow, I. Hammer, H. Stensrud and John Madson. It commenced business on the tenth of Feb¬ ruary, 1877, and consisted at that time of 102 members, and the capital insured was $135,172. Since then there has been a con¬ stant increase. IT. C. Nelson, of Hartland, is president ; Guncler O. Myran, of Manchester, is secretary, and B. E. Bottolfson is treas¬ urer.