Ouren, Hogan (1835-1920)

OUREN

Posted By: Joyce Hickman (email)
Date: 11/3/2008 at 13:49:25

Hogan Ouren
Oct 14, 1835 - Oct 17, 1920

(From the 1883 History of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, by J. H. Keatley, p.235, Silver Creek Twp.)
H. Ouren, farmer, P. O. Living Spring. Mr. Ouren was born in the suburbs of Christiana, Norway, in 1835. Most of his early life was spent in Christiana, being educated there; his parents died when he was young, and he was apprenticed to a merchant, where he served over three years; he came to this county when he was seventeen years old; he is the youngest of nine children, five of whom are dead, the other four in America, Mr. Ouren being the first to come; he landed in Quebec with $2 in his pocket, and then worked his way on to Chicago. He made Chicago his home from 1853 till 1861, but was away part of the time, being in Wisconsin, lumbering, sailing on the lakes, etc. Was married in Chicago, March 14, 1857, to Miss Aurora F. Peterson; she was born in Sweden, but had come to America when she was about ten or eleven years old. They have seven children, six sons and one daughter, all at home. The first year after coming West, they wintered in Nebraska. In the spring of 1862, they moved to Colorado, and remained there till the fall of 1865, when they returned to Nebraska; spent the winter in a house belonging to Samuel Dodge. The next spring, they moved to Silver Creek Township, and have been here ever since. Mr. Ouren and Mr. Lawson bought the first 300 acres together. It was the Judge Bratton farm, now owend by John Vankirk. While there, they kept stage station and farmed. This place was an old Mormon settlement, and there were still a number of their huts when the moved there, and a hewn-log hut built by the Mormons, and this was used as the first schoolhouse on Silver Creek. In the spring of 1869, he moved to his present farm, the "Living Spring" farm. Between the big and Little Silvers (creeks) there was no settler when he moved in , except J. J. Clark, till seven miles to the north, and the nearest neighbor to the east was about three and a half miles. His farm now consists of 740 acres, 160 being in Washington Township. it is all under fence, about 400 acres being under plow and tame grass, the remainder in pastu7re and meadow land; his farming is mostly raising corn, and feeding to cattle and hogs. Mr. Ouren has made a success, and has done it all by farming, not speculating any, and it has mostly been made in this county; he has always taken an active part in developing the township and helping its schools and improvements; he is Democratic in politics; he has been Township Treasurer for ten years, and besides has held other township offices. Mr. Ouren is one of the leading citizens in the township.