Blue Earth County, Minnesota

Biographies

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H. J. Hughes is a native of Wales, and was born in 1846. He came to America, locating in Columbia County, Wisconsin, where he remained seven years, then removed to Blue Earth County, Minnesota. He came to this city in the fall of 1873, and worked in Symes' barrel factory for two years and has since then been in the coopering business. Since June, 1878, he has been with the Co-operative Barrel Company. He was married in 1878, to Miss Anna McCormick. They reside at 1225 Ninth Street South.

History of Hennepin County & City of Minneapolis, Minnesota
North Star Publishing Company, 1881 : Page 566
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN D. BAKER was born in New York in February, 1842, and is a son of Isaac and Abigail, who came to Minnesota in 1855 and settled in Fillmore County, where they took up a tract of government land and there remained engaged in farming for a period of ten years. They then disposed of their big farm to good advantage, and moved to Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where they took up a homestead and engaged in farming and stock-raising. In 1879 they again sold out and came to Pleasant Grove Township, Olmsted County, and here passed the remainder of their days. Both parents now sleep their last sleep in Evergreen Cemetery. Pleasant Grove Township. Their son, John D., spent his youth in assisting his parents on the farm and in getting an education at the near-by schools. In 1863 he rented a farm and ran it on shares one year. In 1864 he took up a tract of 160 acres of government land in Blue Earth County and farmed the same until 1873, when he came to Olmsted county, having sold out, and bought eighty acres in Pleasant Grove township, in section 24, and began to grub, clear and improve the same. Since then he has added to his landed possessions until he now owns 120 acres of excellent land, all covered with good modern improvements. In 1864 Mr. Baker married Miss Margaret Redman, a native of Ohio, and to this union three children were born: James W., Isaac A. and Edith M., who married Mr. Edward Lowrie. In 1882 Mr. Baker had the misfortune to lose his wife; two years later he chose for his second wife Lucy A. Pick, a native of England, and the daughter of John and Mary Pick. After coming to this country she attended school in Rochester and elsewhere and afterward spent several years in teaching. To this marriage two children were born: Mildred A., who married Mr. Vernon Yates, and Ralph. The family worship with the Methodists of this township. Mr. Baker is a Republican and the friend of education and progress. His wife is a woman of far more than ordinary education, culture and refinement.

History of Olmstead County, Minnesota
Leonard, Joseph A : Goodspeed Historical Association, Chicago, 1910 – Pages 566-567
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN LA BARE was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, January 14, 1876, and during the same year was brought to Viola Township, Olmsted county, by his parents, and here he has resided ever since. His father, Elihu La Bare, was born in Hinckley, Ohio, May 23, 1842, and came with his parents in the fall of 1864 to Viola Township, and with the exception of five or six years spent near St. James, Minnesota, resided here continuously until his death, November 13, 1907. The father was married in the state of Wisconsin to Miss Emma Jones, of Juneau, November 29, 1868. She was born March 8, 1852. To this union seven children were born, as follows : Mrs. Hattie Cunningham, of Vidia Township, born June 9, 1870; Miss Anna, born January 8, 1873; John, born January 14, 1876; Mrs. Susie Williams, of Viola township, born September 23, 1879 ; Dora, born June I, 1885 ; Ralph, born September 28, 1890, died March 25, 1898; Clifford, born October 11, 1894. Four of the children, John, Anna, Dora and Clifford, remain on the old homestead in section 15, Viola Township. They own 425 acres here, besides 120 acres in Langlade County, Wisconsin. This family might have remained residents near St. James had it not been for the grasshoppers. When they went west they drove with an ox team, and by the time they had a shanty built they had to borrow money of a brother who lived near with which to start housekeeping. They bought some stock as soon as they could raise the means. When they came away they had a lot of cattle, which helped to sell the place. On account of the grasshoppers the land was not worth much at that time, for those pests had been through that part of the country three years in succession. When grasshoppers had been present twenty-four hours the crops were not worth anything. The family sold out for about $1,200. When they returned from that point they purchased the place where four of the children now reside. John is a member of the Methodist church at Viola, and is a member of the Republican Party. He is prominent and public spirited, and takes interest in all things calculated to benefit the community. Their fine modern home tells of their thrift, intelligence and comfort.

History of Olmstead County, Minnesota
Leonard, Joseph A : Goodspeed Historical Association, Chicago, 1910 – Pages 584-585
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

D. B. BRAKKE was born in Blue Earth, Minnesota, December 9, 1870. His father, Lais K., was a native of Norway, his birth occurring in 183o. When a young man he came to this country and located in North Dakota, but later moved to Dane county, Wisconsin, where he resided for some time. He then came to Blue Earth County, Minnesota, but in 1879 moved to Olmsted County and settled in section 35, in Salem township. His wife, Christe, died in Chicago, Illinois, in 1900, but lies buried in East St. Olaf's cemetery, Rock Dell Township. D. B. Brakke was reared on a farm and has made that branch of industry his occupation through life. He received a meager education at the district schools, but when 15 years old attended the Lutheran College at Decorah, Iowa, where he spent three years and came out well equipped for the struggle of life so far as education was concerned. He then taught school until he was 20 years old, but about that time bought 210 acres in section 5, Rock Dell Township, and there he has resided until the present time, engaged in farming and stock raising. He keeps Poland China hogs and registered Durham cattle, and raises large quantities of grains and fruits. His farm is well provided with good buildings of all kinds. He is one of the leading farmers of the western half of the county. He is a member of East St. Olaf's Lutheran church, of which he was secretar^y for several years and at the present time is trustee. He has been quite prominent in politics, and has served as delegate to several county conventions, his politics being Republican.

He has served as a member of the town board for eleven years, of which he served as chairman for five years. He is up-to-date- and progressive in his views and operations. On August 5, 1894, he was joined in marriage with Miss Martha Lee, whose parents were pioneer settlers in this portion of the county. Eight children were born to this marriage : Cora A., born May 29, 1896 ; Leonard R., born March 13, 1898, died in infancy; Anna C., born January 14, 1900; Delia M., born October 8, 1901; Lillian L., born November 25, 1905; Louise, born November 18, 1907; Victor N., born October 19, 1909. This is one of the educated and refined homes of the county.

History of Olmstead County, Minnesota
Leonard, Joseph A : Goodspeed Historical Association, Chicago, 1910 – Pages 591-592
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

MARION J. ELLSWORTH (1903), of Magnolia, is the son of the late John A. and Laura (Fish) Ellsworth, pioneers of southwestern Minnesota. John A. Ellsworth was born in Utica, New York, October 14, 1828, and when a young man moved to Saranac, Ionia county, Michigan, where he lived until 1865, engaged in farming, school teaching and in the mercantile business. He became a resident of Minnesota in the year mentioned and until 1872 resided in Blue Earth County. He then went to Nobles County and was the first person to file a soldier's homestead claim in Westside Township, selecting as his allotment the northeast quarter of section 18. At that time there were only two houses on the road between Luverne and Worthington. Mr. Ellsworth retired from active work on the farm in 1896 and moved to Adrian, where his death occurred July 17, 1901. Laura Ellsworth, the mother of our subject, is a native of Whitehall, New York, and still resides at Adrian at the age of seventy-six.

During the residence of the family in Saranac, Michigan, Marion J. Ellsworth was born September 26, 1862. Three years later he moved with his parents to Blue Earth County, Minnesota, and then in May, 1872, to Nobles county. He attended the district schools of Westside Township and lived on the old homestead of his father until twenty years of age. Then he set his eyes toward the west. He pre-empted land in South Dakota, remained there five years, and then went to the state of Washington. In 1889 Marion returned to Nobles County and fanned for the next three years. When the Sisseton Indian reservation in South Dakota was opened for settlement on April 15, 1892, he was fortunate to secure his pick of the land and on the claim he remained for ten years. In 1903 he located in Magnolia, which has since been his home and where he is engaged in the butcher and retail meat business.

At the call for volunteers on the declaration of war with Spain, Marion Ellsworth enlisted at Browns Valley, Minnesota, on July 2, 1898, in company E, Fifteenth Minnesota regiment. His company was stationed at Fort Snelling, Camp Meade, Pennsylvania, and at Augusta, Georgia, being mustered out at the latter place in March, 1899.

Mr. Ellsworth was married at Adrian February 4, 1891, to Katherine McGee, a native of Illinois and a daughter of William and Katherine McGee, now residents of Magnolia. To these parents have been born the following three children: Katherine L., born November 25, 1891; William, born May 2, 1894; and Ruth, born August 4, 1896.

An Illustrated History of Pipestone & Rock Counties,, Minnesota
Northern Publishing Company, Luverne, Minnesota, 1911 : Pages 609 - 610
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

 LUCIUS E. TOWN (1871), a farmer of Rock Lake Township, was born in Steele County, Minnesota. March 4, 1870, and is a son of Lucius and Mary (Clark) Town, pioneer resident of Lyon County. Lucius Town, Sr., in company with his three brothers, Julius, Ralph and Alvah S., came to this county in 1871, and each brother took a quarter section on 22, Rock Lake, as a homestead.

Lucius Town, Jr., accompanied his parents to Lyon county, where his boyhood days were spent. His early education was acquired in the country schools of the township and in Balaton. At the age of fifteen years he attended school for a time near Owatonna and later took a course in the Wilder Business College, graduating in 1895. Returning to Balaton, our subject followed the painting and paper hanging trades for eight years.

From 1903 until 1906 Mr. Town's residence was North Yakima, Washington, where he was engaged at the same work. Then he returned to Minnesota and has since been farming on the old Rock Lake homestead, working at the trade of painting in some of his spare time. Mr. Town has other business interests, being a stockholder of the Lyon County Co-operative Company and of the Current Lake Telephone Company. He is a member of the Presbyterian church of Balaton and belongs to the A. O. U. W. lodge.

Lucius E. Town was married to Lizzie Hughes, a resident of Blue Earth County, Minnesota. To them were born two children: Elbert, born December 28, 1899: and Leslie, born May 13, 1902. Mrs. Town died in North Yakima in 1903. Our subject's mother died in 1S81 and his father is still living on the old homestead at the age of eighty-two years.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 265
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN J. GRIFFITH (1870) has been a resident of Lyon County since he was nine years of age. His parents, David E. Griffith and Mary J. Richards, were natives of Wales and Pennsylvania, respectively, and came to Wisconsin in an early day. John was born in Columbia county, Wisconsin, October 6, 1862, and when three years old his parents moved to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, which was their home six years.

In 1870 the Griffith family moved to Lyon County, Minnesota, and located on the east half of the east half of section 12, Custer Township to which the father had bought the homestead right. There John received his schooling and assisted his father until twenty-six years of age, at which time he bought eighty acres on section 7, Monroe Township, and commenced farming for himself. For five years our subject remained on that place, and then he sold his land and rented the northwest quarter of section 7, where he has since lived. He has a well improved piece of land and is prospering. He is giving much attention to the breeding of Percheron horses.

John J. Griffith and Katie Wunderlich were married July 4, 1891, in Custer. Mrs. Griffith was born in Wisconsin July 6, 1874, and is a daughter of. George and Catherine (Young) Wunderlich, natives of Germany and France, respectively. Eight children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Griffith, as follows: Leon, born 1893; Fred, born 1895; Louise, born 1897; Irving, born 1898; Leslie. born 1900; Annie, born 1903; Morris, born 1905; and Merle, born 1908.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 266
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN SCOTT (1872) is a homesteader of Sodus Township and one of the oldest settlers of that precinct, having lived on the one place an even forty years. In common with other pioneers of Lyon County, Mr. Scott endured many hardships in the days when the festive grasshopper harvested the grain and the fierce winter storms swept the unbroken prairies.

Our subject was born in Wayne County, New York, March 27, 1852, and he descends from an old New York family. His parents were Charles and Delia (Shaw) Scott. The father died when John was three years old, and soon thereafter he accompanied his mother to Michigan, where he was educated and grew to manhood. In 1872 Mr. Scott came to Lyon County and took as a home-a stead the southeast quarter of section 24, Sodus township, on which farm he has ever since resided.

Mr. Scott was married in Marshall August 23, 1875, to Mary A. Lewis. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, August 12, 1853, and is a member of one of the pioneer families of Minnesota. Her parents, Lewis D. and Jane (Davis) Lewis, came from Wales in an early day and made their home at Pittsburgh. They settled in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, in 1857, and members of the family participated in the Sioux War of 1862. Mrs. Scott's father was wounded by the Indians, and an uncle, James Edwards, met his death at the hands of the redskins.

Mr. and Mrs. Scott have four children, all married. They are as follows: Lewis, of Custer Township; Jane, the wife of Henry Edwards; Irwin, of Sodus Township; Mabel, the wife of Charles Edwards, of Custer Township.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 269
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

ELLSWORTH EVANS (1873) is a successful Monroe township farmer' who has seen the country develop from a wild prairie to the prosperity of the present day. His father, Solomon Evans, was born in Newton, Wales, in 1818 and came to America about 1844, settling in Utica, New York and later moving to Wisconsin. In June. 1863, he settled in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. and ten years later took a homestead in Custer township, Lyon county, where he lived until his death on February 16, 1894. Solomon Evans' wife, Anna (Evans) Evans. was born in Newton, Wales, in 1818 and died June 26, 1896, in Lyon County.

At Oconomowoc, Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Ellsworth Evans was born December 19, 1861. When about one and one-half years of age he accompanied his parents to Blue Earth county, and later he came with them to Lyon County. He lived on the old homestead until six years after his marriage in 1891. Ellsworth acquired his education in the country schools and during his young manhood witnessed the trying experiences of the grasshopper days and the big blizzards. The family home in Custer was built of lumber hauled from New Ulm, and this rude cabin was covered with sod. The building still stands on the place.

Ellsworth Evans was married July 16, 1891, in Monroe Township, to Mary Edwards. She was born in Cambria, Blue Earth county, Minnesota, April 2, 1867, a daughter of William and Margaret (Davis) Edwards. To Mr. and Mrs. Evans have been born two children, Roger and Raymond, July 15, 1892, and January 1, 1894, being the respective dates of their birth. Our subject farmed the old place fur six years after his marriage and then moved to the west half of the northwest quarter of section 30 in Monroe Township, which has since been his home.

Mr. Evans raises considerable stock in addition to his general farming. He is a shareholder in the Garvin Co-operative Elevator Company and is a director and was for many years the president of the Garvin Creamery Company. For the last five years he has been chairman of the Board of Supervisors of the township, of which he was previously a member and he has served on the board of directors of school district No. 72. In addition to his eighty-acre farm on section 30, Mr. Evans owns the southwest quarter of section 24 and forty-six acres on section 19.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 277
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

BENJAMIN F. THOMAS (1871) is the proprietor of a confectionery, cigar and notion store at Garvin and is one of Lyon County’s oldest settlers, having made settlement in Custer township forty-one years ago. In the early days he played an important part in the affairs of his community.

Mr. Thomas was born in Allegany County, Maryland, September 24, 1847, and spent the first thirteen years of his life in his native state. He came West with the family in 1860 and lived one year in Columbia county, Wisconsin. In 1861 he went with the family to La Crosse County, Wisconsin; in 1863 to Rock Island County, Illinois; in 1868 to Boone County, Iowa; in 1870 to Blue Earth county, Minnesota; and in 1871 to Lyon county.

The Thomas family made the trip to Lyon County with ox teams, and settlement was made on section 4, Custer Township. The father took as a homestead claim the northeast quarter of the section and our subject the southeast quarter. A log house, with shake roof and puncheon floor, was built on the place and in that the family lived for some time. No railroad had yet penetrated the county, and during the first winter Benjamin Thomas made five trips by ox team to Lake Crystal to bring in material and supplies.

Mr. Thomas farmed the homestead until 1884. Then he gave up farming and located at Minnesota Lake, where for two years he bought grain for Hodges & Hyde. He then located at Hankinson, North Dakota, and for many years was employed as a grain buyer. He returned to Lyon county in 1901 and for two years conducted his farm. Mr. Thomas then became a resident of Garvin. He managed the Sleepy Eye elevator at that Point a year and a half and then bought and shipped stock for a year or two. He established his present business in 1907.

In 1876 Mr. Thomas circulated a petition asking for the right to organize the township in which he lived, under the name of Reno, in honor of the general in charge of the forces against the Indians in Montana. Before the required permission was- granted, however, the Custer massacre had occurred and the township was named in honor of General Custer, whose life had been sacrificed a few months before. Mr. Thomas was the first clerk of Custer Township and served several terms. He is a member of the Masonic lodge.

The parents of Benjamin Thomas were two of the best known residents of southern Lyon county. They were Benjamin and Catherine (Jones) Thomas, natives of Wales, who came to America at the ages of nineteen and twelve years, respectively. They were married in Allegany County, Maryland and there all their children, excepting Ruth, were born. Both parents died on the Custer homestead, the father in 1884, the mother in 1892. The children of the family are Mrs. William Hughes, of Garvin; Ann (Mrs. Richard Hughes), deceased; Benjamin, of this biography; James J., of Tracy; Ruth (Mrs. Rees Price), of Tracy; and Joseph B., of Garvin.

Our subject was married in Custer Township to Loretta Delong. She was born in St. Lawrence County, New York, and died March 7, 1897, at the age of thirty-eight years. Mr. Thomas has three children: Edgar, who is engaged in railroad work in the West; Harvey, of Wells, Minnesota; and Hattie, who attends school at Wells.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 281 - 282
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

THOMAS E. DAVIS (1877), mayor of Marshall and an attorney of that city, is one of the best known men of Lyon county —a man who has played an important part in the affairs of his community. Although born outside the county, his parents were residents of Lyon County at the time, and he has spent his entire life here.

Thomas E. Davis was born in Judson, Blue Earth County, Minnesota, February 18, 1877. He was brought to Lyon county by his parents when a babe. He was graduated from the Marshall High School in 1894 and during the next year he worked at various occupations. He was a student at Macalester College in 1895 and 1896, preparing himself for the ministry, but he changed his plans and decided to become a lawyer. In March, 1898, he entered the law office of M. E. Mathews, where he read law during the next three years. In March, 1901, he entered the office of Senator V. B. Seward, completed his studies, and the same year was admitted to the bar.

The law firm of Mathews & Davis was then formed and until April, 1902, our subject was engaged in practice with the older attorney. He then opened an office in a dingy little room containing no furniture except a kitchen table loaned by his mother. To purchase books he borrowed one hundred dollars from Col. A. R. Chace. In September, 1902, Mr. Davis received the Republican primary nomination for county attorney, defeating E. C. Patterson, the incumbent, with a majority of 276. At the general election he defeated E. B. Johnson, of Tracy, an independent candidate, by a majority of 540. He received the Republican nomination without opposition in 1904, but was defeated at the general election by B. B. Gislason, of Minnesota, by 214 votes. During his term as county attorney Mr. Davis was exceptionally successfully in the prosecution of criminal- cases, securing 140 convictions out of 143 cases, including minor and major offences. His law business has grown rapidly, and today he enjoys one of the largest law practices in Southwestern Minnesota. He devotes his time exclusively to the trial of cases and has a large practice in Redwood, Yellow Medicine, Lac qui Palle and Swift counties.

Mr. Davis has taken an active interest in politics and is an orator of state-wide reputation. In the campaigns of 1908 and 1910 he made speeches for the state and national tickets in many parts of the state, spending several weeks in Minneapolis, Duluth and other cities. He has been mentioned as a candidate for congress and is credited with the ambition to represent his district in the nation's law-making body. Locally he has held several offices in addition to that of county attorney. In 1908 and 1909 he served as alderman from the second ward, and in April, 1910, he was elected mayor of the city, defeating H. P. Fulton by ninety-eight majority.

Mr. Davis is a man of family. He was married at Chetek, Wisconsin, June 26, 1906, to Mabel Emma Johnson. She is a native of that place, haying been born May 17, 1884. She is the daughter of Ole and Mary Johnson, who were born in Norway. Two children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Davis: Esther Mabel, born March 4, 1908, and Dona May, born June 23, 1910. Mr. Davis holds membership in the M. W. A., Royal Arcanum, Maccabees, Elks and Knights of Pythias lodges.

The subject of this biography is the son of Reese and Jane (Jones) Davis, the former a native of Wales and the latter of Ohio, she being of Welsh descent. Reese Davis came to the United States at the age of three years and located with his parents in Ohio. In 1861 he enlisted in Company C, of the Fifty-sixth Ohio Infantry, served the period of his enlistment, and then re-enlisted and served until the close of the war. Jane Jones located in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, with her parents in 1858. After the war Mr. Davis located in the same county where was a large Welsh settlement, and there the parents of our subject were married. They moved to Lyon County in 1873 and took a homestead claim in Monroe Township. They left the farm in 1882 and located in Tracy, and four years later moved to Marshall, where they have since resided. Mr. Davis is a trustee of the First Presbyterian Church and has been since the church was built.

Reese and Jane Davis have five children, all living and all graduates of the Marshall High School. Following are the names of the children: Esther, the wife of .William Russell, an attorney at Moorhead; Mary Agnes, the wife of 0. A. Krook, who is postmaster of Marshall; Elizabeth Ida, who was the assistant principal of the Laurel, Montana, schools and who is now the wife of Thomas Rigney, a merchant of Laurel; Thomas E., of this biography, and his twin brother, John I., who is an attorney at Benson, Minnesota.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 294 - 295
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

RICHARD R. BUMFORD (1878), who conducts a loan and real estate office in city of Marshall, has been a resident of Lyon county thirty-four years. He is a native of Racine county, Wisconsin, and was born October 26, 1856. He was educated in the district school and in the grammar school at Racine.

In 1876 Mr. Bumford moved to Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where he engaged in teaching district schools two years. He came to Lyon County in the spring of 1878, took a homestead claim in Monroe Township, and for a few years was engaged in teaching school. He was elected register of deeds in 1882 and held the office three terms, until the first of the year 1889. That year he engaged in his present business. Mr. Bumford makes a specialty of real estate loans and has built up a very large business along that line.

The subject of this review was married at Marshall in June, 1886, to Lucy Lewis, a native of New York State. Mr. and Mrs. Bumford have two children: Gladys E., a graduate of the Marshall High School and who for two years attended the Conservatory of Music of Oberlin, Ohio, and Truman Lewis, who was graduated from the Marshall High School in 1911 and who is now attending Carleton College. The family are members of the Congregational church of Marshall, Mr. Bumford being one of the trustees of the church.

Richard R. Bumford is a son of the late David and Ellen (Roberts) Bumford. The parents were born in Wales, came to America when young, and were married in Racine, Wisconsin. David Bumford was a veteran of the Civil War, having served as a member of Company F, of the Twenty-second Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. He died at the home of his son, Abner G. Bumford, in Custer Township in December, 1889. The mother of our subject died in Wisconsin a number of years ago. There were only two children in the family—Abner G. and Richard R. Bumford.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 348
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN H. HUGHES (1876), one of the early settlers of Custer Township and a farmer who has prospered on his eighty-acre farm and been active in the affairs of the community, was born in New York State March 22, 1852. When a small child he accompanied his parents, Hugh R. and Ann (Pew) Hughes, to Wisconsin, where the family resided until John was ten years old; then the family moved to Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

Blue Earth County continued to be the home of the Hughes family until John was twenty-four years of age. He was brought up on a farm and attended school in the home district. He had been helping his father on the farm several years when, in 1876, the family came to Lyon County, the father and John each taking homesteads in Custer Township. The parents made their homestead their home until their deaths, and John has been a continuous resident on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 14 ever since taking it as a homestead in 1876. He is a stockholder of the Garvin Creamery Company.

John Hughes and Margaret J. Owens were united in marriage January 1, 1877. Mrs. Hughes was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, March 25, 1856. To them have been born six children, named as follows: Hugh, Philip, Hannah, Mary, Margaret and

Elizabeth. Mr. and Mrs. Hughes are members of the Congregational Church of Custer Township.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 350
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

EDWARD V. BURT (1878) farms the west half of section 24, Coon Creek Township, and is a successful farmer of that precinct. He has resided in Lyon County since he was one year of age and is the son of the first settler of Coon Creek township. The farm is still owned by the pioneer resident.

Edward is a son of Dallas S. and Mary Burt. Dallas Burt was born in New York State September 11, 1845. He came to Lyon County in 1876 and took a claim in Amiret Township. Two years later he homesteaded the northwest quarter of section 24, Coon Creek Township. He now lives at Minetto, New York. The mother of our subject was born in Wisconsin September 11, 1856, and died February 5, 1911. There are five sons in the family, as follows: Edward and Mynard, of Russell; Benjamin, of Northcote, Minnesota; Budd H., of Winnipeg, Canada; and Charles, of Russell.

The subject of this biography was born in Minetto, Oswego County, New York, July 23, 1877, and when one year of age came to Lyon county with his parents. For four years he attended the school of district No. 63, and then until nineteen years of age he was a student at the Russell school. Thereafter for a 'few years Mr. Burt worked out as a farm hand. He was married in 1901 and moved to Russell, where he spent two years working on the railroad. In 1903 he moved to the farm which he now operates.

Mr. Burt raises Durham cattle, Duroc Jersey hogs and Rhode Island Red and Plymouth Rock chickens. He has stock in the Lyon County Co-operative Store Company and the Farmers Mutual Telephone Company. He is a member of the Presbyterian church of Russell and is treasurer of the church society. He holds membership in the M. W. A. and Royal Neighbors lodges.

The marriage of Mr. Burt to Pearl May Clow occurred in Lyon county June 18, 1901. She was born in Iowa July 21, 1885, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. O. W Clow, of Winnebago City. Mr. Clow was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, _in 1861. Mrs. Clow was born at Liscomb, Iowa, in 1866. Mr. and Mrs. Burt have four children: Earl Le Roy, Jessie May, Charles Edward and Marion Clare.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 392 - 393
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

CHARLES R. LAINGEN (1898) is the junior member of the firm of Grieve & Laingen, general merchants of Cottonwood. He was born in Blue Earth County, near Lake Crystal, May 26, 1872, and resided there until twenty-six years of age. When seventeen years of age he became a clerk in a general store at Lake Crystal and then worked six years for the Northwestern Railroad Company.

The parents of our subject are Peter K. and Ronaug (Loftsgaard) Laingen, natives of Norway. Peter K. Laingen came to the United States in 1860 and resided in California ten years. In 1870 he moved to Blue Earth county, Minnesota, where he bought land and was married. He resided in that county until his death on December 16, 1911. The mother died in 1873.

In 1898 our subject came to Lyon county and located at Cottonwood, where he entered the firm of Olson, Kelly & Laingen, general merchants. In 1902 he bought out John Michie, of the firm of Michie & Grieve, and the firm has since been Grieve & Laingen. Michie & Grieve were the successors of Dahl Brothers, the original owners of one of the first stores in Cottonwood. They occupied a little building, 25x40 feet, on the site of the present two-story brick building, which is 26x80 feet and which they erected that spring. Grieve & Laingen handle dry goods, groceries, furnishings, shoes and Crockery. They entered their present building in 1904. Mr. Laingen is a member of Equity Lodge No. 221, A. F. & A. M. He was village recorder two terms.

Mr. Laingen was married in Minneapolis May 14, 1908, to Anna Pettersen, a native of Blue Earth County.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 447
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN D. GRIFFITH (1891), a prosperous farmer of Custer Township, is a native of Wales and came to this country at the age of nineteen years, locating near Utica, New York, where he worked on a farm. Blue Earth County, Minnesota, was Mr. Griffith's next home, and there he lived until 1891, renting land and farming.

It was in 1891 that our subject moved from Blue Earth to Lyon County and bought his present land, the northeast quarter of section 25, Custer. Mr. Griffith has greatly improved his farm and has gone into the stock raising business quite extensively. He is a shareholder of the Garvin Creamery Company, the Garvin Independent Elevator Company and the Current Lake Telephone Company. The past ten years he has served as a director of school district No. 72.

December 6, 1893, occurred the marriage of John Griffith and Maggie Williams, in Custer Township. There are five children, as follows: Mary, born October 12, 1894; Hugh, born August 18, 1896; Milton, born July 6, 1898; Luther, born August '4, 1900; and Rachael, born July 23, 1907. Mrs. Griffith was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, December 25, 1868.

The subject of our sketch was born in Wales December 17, 1865. His parents, Thomas Griffith and Hannah (Jones) Griffith, are both dead. Thomas Griffith was a farmer in Wales, and he and his wife were the parents of eight children, four of whom are living and only one of whom, the subject of our sketch, is a resident of America.

Mr. Griffith is a member of the Welsh Methodist Church of Custer Township and is affiliated with the Modern Woodmen lodge of Garvin.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 480-481
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

WILLIAM H. EDWARDS (1894) owns and operates 240 acres of land on section 29, Sodus Township. He was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, December 6, 1867. His parents are William and Margaret (Davis) Edwards, both natives of Wales. They came to the United States in an early day and settled in Blue Earth County, where our subject was born and grew to manhood. He assisted his father on the farm until 1894.

In the year last named our subject came to Lyon County and purchased eighty acres on section 29, Sodus Township. Later he purchased the northeast quarter of the same section. He operates the entire 240 acres. Mr. Edwards is a member of the Township Board of Supervisors.

On June 27, 1897, Mr. Edwards was married to Jane Scott, a native of Lyon County. She is a daughter of John and Mary Ann (Lewis) Scott, of Sodus Township. Mr. and Mrs. Edwards have three children: Edwin, Mary and Irene.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 499
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

EVAN M. JONES (1897) is the proprietor of a general merchandise store at Garvin, postmaster of that village, editor of the Garvin Leader, and interested in several other enterprises of his town. He has resided in the county fifteen years and has become prominently identified with Garvin's business and social interests. During the entire forty-five years of his life he has lived in Minnesota.

Our subject was born in Blue Earth county January 19, 1867, and spent his early years there. He was educated in the Mankato Normal School and at the age of seventeen years began teaching school,. which he followed several years. He located in Murray County in 1890 and for seven years engaged in farming. Mr. Jones became a resident of Lyon County in 1897, when he located at Russell and established a general merchandise store. One year later he disposed of that and engaged in business in Garvin, being the third merchant to become established in that village. He erected at that time the building in which he has since conducted the business.

Mr. Jones has served as postmaster of Garvin since September, 1900, and he has edited the Garvin Leader since June, 1911. He is treasurer of the Garvin Creamery Company, secretary of the local Board of Education, and one of the directors of the Farmers State Bank of Garvin. Fraternally he is a Mason and a Woodman.

In Blue Earth County, on October 19, 1889, Mr. Jones was wedded to Maggie J. Williams. She was born in Wisconsin and died March 7, 1901, at the age of thirty-two years. As a result of this union three children were born, Allen, Benjamin and Margaret. The second marriage of Mr. Jones occurred May 30, 1902, when he wedded Clara Helleson, a native of Lyon County and a daughter of Clemet Helleson, an early settler. Mr. and Mrs. Jones have two children, Mabel and Vivian.

The subject of this biography is of Welsh descent. His father, William P. Jones, was born in Wales July 15, 1828, came to the United States in 1847, lived in Jackson County, Ohio, until 1856, and then became a resident of Blue Earth county, Minnesota. There he became a prominent citizen. He was a member of the Home Guards at the time of the Indian War, and in 1877 he served as a member of the Minnesota Legislature. He died at Lake Crystal May 28, r908. Our subject's mother, Margaret (Walters) Jones, was born in Wales in 1831 and now resides at Lake Crystal. There were sixteen children in the family, of whom the following named thirteen are living: John, William, Ursula, Maggie, Ann, Mary, Stephen, Thomas, Elizabeth, Evan M., Walter, Samuel and Dorothy.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 536 - 537
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

JOHN B. FLINN (1911) is one of Clifton Township’s farmers and resides on the northwest quarter of section 10. He was born in Lafayette county, Wisconsin, on October 4, 1881. His father and mother were Fred and Mattie (Severson) Flinn, natives of Wisconsin and Norway, respectively. When John was a child the family moved to Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. There the father bought land and for several years engaged in agricultural pursuits. Later he moved to Rockwell, a neighboring village, and the subject of this sketch grew to manhood in Rockwell and finished his education in the public school.

The elder Mr. Flinn opened a livery and feed stable in Rockwell and also conducted a barber shop. John learned the barber's trade and was with his father until 1899, in which year he moved to Minnesota, locating in Lac qui Parle County, where he rented land and farmed until 1911. That year he came to Lyon County and bought the place where he now resides, one of the finest farms in the township. Mr. Flinn has already taken up stock raising in connection with his general farming, and with his good location and his industry seems assured of success.

The subject of this sketch was married in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, August 29, 1906. The young lady he chose for his wife was Carrie Guddal, a daughter of John and Rachel (Swenson) Guddal, natives of Norway and now residents of Blue Earth County. Mrs. Flinn was born .June 18, 1882. To this union has been born one child, Erwood, on September 6, 1911. Mrs. Flinn taught school several years before her marriage, in her home county and in Lac qui Parle County.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 602
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

AUGUST C. PRECHEL (1904) rents the southeast quarter of section 10, Lucas township, farms very successfully 240 acres, and engages in the raising of grade cattle and hogs for marketing.

Christ and Bertha Prechel, parents of our subject, both now living in Posen township, Yellow Medicine county, were born in Germany and came to this country and located in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, in 1868, where they resided until 1900, moving to their present home that year. They had fifteen children, twelve of whom are living, as follows: Augusta (Mrs. Charles Meyer), of Blue Earth County; Paulina (Mrs. Herman Preuss), of Yellow Medicine county; Minnie (Mrs. Alfred Radke), of Crookston; Henry, of St. Paul; August C., of this review; and Fred, Rudolph, Ernest, Edward, Bertha, George and Freida, all of Posen township.

August Prechel was born in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, June 4, 1883. He received his education in the common schools and resided in his native county until seventeen years of age. During the last two years of his residence in Blue Earth County he worked for his father on the farm and for a neighbor, and after the family moved to Yellow Medicine County in 1900 August continued to live with his parents the next two years. At the end of that time young Prechel started out for himself and after working out two years he came to Lyon county and continued his work in Lucas township eighteen months, after which he rented the Eliason farm -and conducted it five years. Mr. Prechel then moved to the farm he now runs and where he has since resided-.

The subject of this sketch was married October 19, 1906, at Marshall to Constance Twedt, a native of Norway, born February 24, 1889. They are the parents of two children: Arvied, born February 4, 1908, and Esther, born November 19, 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Prechel are members of the English Lutheran church of Cottonwood.

An Illustrated History of Lyon County, Minnesota
Rose, Arthur P, Northern Historical Publishing Company, Marshall, MN : Page 610
Transcribed by: Martha A Crosley Graham

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Martha A Crosley Graham
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