Newry Township

Newry Township

This is the northeast township of Freeborn county and is there¬ fore one of the most prominent towns as to the location. Its boundaries are as follows: Steele county on the north, Mower county on the east, Moscow township on the south, and Geneva on the west. It is a full congressional township, embracing the territory of township 104, range 19. The surface of the town is quite rolling and is made up mostly of oak opening land. The greater part of the prairie land is found in the northern part of the town. The soil in the west, north and eastern parts is a dark loam of from two to three feet in thickness, and underlaid with a subsoil of blue clay ; and in the southern and central part it is more sandy, with a subsoil of gravel. There are not so many water courses or lakes in this town as in a majority of its neigh¬ bors, yet it is not altogether devoid of them. A small body of water lying in section 2 is known as Newry lake, Oak, or John¬ son's lake, lies in section 26, and from it flows a substantial little stream which empties into Deer creek in the northern part of section thirty-four.

Newry township has a hamlet of the same name located in the southern part of section 9. St. Mary's Catholic Church is located in section 18, and the cemetery is south of it. The Red Oak Grove Norwegian Lutheran Church is over the line in Mower county.

Early Settlement. The Red Oak Grove locality extends into this township, and it is believed that as early as 1855 several members of the Norwegian colony that came to Oak Grove settled over the line in this county. Ellof Kinetson and family, natives of Norway, were the first to arrive, making their appearance in 1855, and claiming a place in section 25, where they remained until 1874, when Mr. Kinetson died and was buried in Mower county. The family, with the exception of the youngest son, Halver Ellofson, removed in 1876 to Otter Tail. Christian Erick Rukke and family, natives of Norway, who had stopped for a time in Illinois, were among the number to arrive this year, and they took a claim in section 36, where they remained until 1868, when they secured a place in section 26. Helge Oleson came at the same time from the same place, and planted his stakes in section 10.

In the spring of 1856 a colony of Irishmen came from Illinois and secured homes. The party consisted of Thomas Fitzsimmons, William and John Bell, John Brennan, and Patrick Creegan, and all of the party settled on land near the center of the town. About the same time Ole 0. Tliorson, a native of Norway, came from Dane county, Wisconsin, and secured a home in section 36, where he remained until 1857, when he removed to Olmstead county. In 1856 Christian E. Rukke also located in the township. The following year settlers came in so rapidly that it is impossible to trace them in sequence, and by 1860 all of the government land in the township that was really valuable had been taken. Thomas A. Helvig was one of the settlers, locating in section 13, in 1867.

Early Events. The first birth in the township occurred Feb¬ ruary 9, 1856, being that of a daughter to Christian E. and Randi N. D. Johnson, who resided in section 36. The child grew to womanhood in the township, and, in 1876, married John G. Quamm. The first marriage ceremony was performed by Rev. C. L. Clauson June 5, 1858, and united the destinies of Halver Ellofson and Caroline Fingerson, the latter of whom died six months later, this being the first death in the township.

Organization. The town was organized May 11. 1858, and the first officers elected Avere as folloAVS : Supervisors, John Brennan, chairman; Daniel HollvAvood. and William Bell; clerk, Thomas Fitzsimmons; treasurer, C. E. Johnson; assessor, Patrick Creegan; justice of the peace, Thomas Hollywood.

This is one of the eastern toAvns of Freeborn county, and is bounded as folloAvs : Moscoaat toAvnship on the north. Oakland on the south. MoAver county on the east, and HayAvard toAvnship on the Avest. It is a full congressional toAvnship, the integrity of the original gOATernment survey remaining unchanged, as in all the toAAms of the county. Unlike all other of Freeborn county's subdivisions. this has no lakes or Avater courses; but Avater can be obtained by boring to a reasonable depth. A little brook is marked upon the map as rising in the northern part of section 6 and flowing northAvard into Moscoav. The entire Avestern part of the town was originally made np of what is termed "oak opening" land, or prairie and natural meadows dotted with groves of small growth burr and black oak timber, and there was also consider¬ able moderately heavy timber. The eastern part is prairie land with the usual rolling tendency, which, toward the south, becomes rather low and marshy, yet not sufficiently so to be wholly imprac¬ tical for agriculture. The soil is a rich dark loam, with a subsoil of clay and gravel, and the entire township is well fitted for the crops and modes of farming of the present day, yielding abundant harvests.

Oakland has one village, bearing the same name as the town¬ ship, and located in section 2. Crayon Park is the name applied to a locality in section 6. The Bohemian Dance Hall is in the southwestern part of section 30. There is a cemetery in section 22. The Norwegian Lutheran Church and cemetery are located in the northeastern part of section 6.

Early Settlement. It has been stated that the first settlement in the township of Oakland was made in 1855, by a party from Illinois. This party consisted of G. W. Carpenter and family, and W. L. Carpenter, with Joel Bullock and family and Lemuel Bullock. George W. Carpenter located in section 10; W. L. Carpenter, a young man, secured a piece of land in section 3 ; Joel Bullock, with his family, made himself at home in section 4, and Lemuel Bullock made a claim in section 3.

The next settlement was made near the center of the town by a party of Irishmen, who arrived in July, 1856. Cornelius Kennevan, together with his family, among whom were three sons, came at this time, and located upon a good farm in section 22, where he remained until the time of his death, which occurred in 1880. John Murane, a native of Ireland, arrived at the sam^. time and located in section 27. He remained upon his original homestead until 1874. Within a few weeks after the arrival of these Irishmen, a couple of Norwegian brothers, Ole and George 0. Gunderson, late of Wisconsin, made their appearance and took claims just north of the above mentioned parties, in and about section 9. Ole took a claim of 160 acres in this section, brought his family and erected a log hut among other improvements. He remained here until 1877. Francis Merchant, Sr., a Frenchman, was also among the arrivals of 1856, and settled in section 1. Reuben Babcock was among the arrivals of 1856, coming in November of that year from Illinois, and filed upon 160 acres in section 15, where he located his family, erected a log house, and remained until 1859, when he sold his place and removed to Albert Lea. Asa Bullock, Jr., a native of Vermont, arrived in Oakland in the latter part of October, 1856, and pre-empted 160 acres, where he erected a log house and remained until 1864.

Early Events. The first birth in the township was that of a child to Samuel Bullock and wife, in February, 1856. The first marriage of parties living in Oakland took place in the winter of 1855 and 1856, and united AY. L. Carpenter to Prudence Bullock, and L. E. Bullock to lTiba Carpenter, being a double wedding. It is said that the first death in Oakland occurred in the spring of 1858, being that of Asa Bullock, the father of a large family of early pioneers, who had, in 1857, located in section 9. AY. L. Carpenter and L. E. Bullock turned the first sod in the way of breaking in the township, in section 3, in the spring of 1856. They also put up the first dwelling houses in Oakland, of logs.

Town Organization. The town was organized May 11, 1858, at a meeting held at the home of Thomas Riley, in the north¬ eastern part of the township. Asa Bullock was chosen moderator, and 31 votes were cast, resulting in the election of the following officers: Supervisors, Asa Bullock, chairman; AYillard L. Car¬ penter, and Henry Hollenshead ; clerk, Cornelius Kennevan ; col¬ lector, John Murane; assessor, John Murane; justice of the peace, Cornelius Kennevan; constable, James Robinson; overseer of the poor, James Robinson; pound master, Asa Bullock, Jr. In 1861, bonds were voted to the amount of $1,000 to pay bounty to volun¬ teers to fill the quota assigned the town and thus prevent a draft. In the spring of 1865 another special meeting was held and again bonds were voted.