Andrew N. Brones

BRONES, SKRETTEBERG, JACOBS

Posted By: Peter Gausmann (email)
Date: 1/8/2010 at 05:34:57

ANDREW N. BRONES

Among the honored early settlers of Winnebago county is numbered Andrew N. Brones, who has made his home here for fifty-two years and has therefore witnessed almost the entire development of this section of the state. Throughout the greater part of his active business life he has followed farming and now resides on section 18, Mount Valley township, where he owns and operates one hundred and sixty acres of valuable land.

A native of Norway, Mr. Brones was born on the old Brones homestead, in Modom, June 23, 1845, and is a son of Nels O. and Mary (Skretteberg) Brones, who came with their family to the United States in 1852 on an old sailing vessel, Shoffano, and located in Dane county, Wisconsin, where the mother died two years later. In 1865 the father brought his family to Winnebago county, Iowa, and after one year's residence in Forest City purchased a farm four miles northeast of that place. He erected thereon the second house built between Forest City and Lake Mills, the first being at Bensons Grove. He made his home upon that farm until his death, which occurred in 1885. He was three times married and by the first union had four children, but Andrew N. is the only one of these now living. Three were soldiers in the Civil war, Andrew being but nineteen years of age and Peter N. not yet seventeen at the time of enlistment. Olavus was taken prisoner at the battle of Chickamauga and died in Andersonville prison. By his second marriage the father had two sons, Christian and John, both of whom are still living, and by the third union there were five children, two of whom survive: Mary and Nickoline, who are teachers and homesteaders in Montana.

During his boyhood Andrew N. Brones attended the public schools of Forest City and later was a student at the Upper Iowa University at Fayette, completing his education with a commercial course at the Upper Iowa Commercial College. In the meantime, however, he had served his adopted country as one of the boys in blue. In 1864 he enlisted in Company I, Forty-third Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and remained in the service until the close of the Civil war. After being mustered out he joined the family in Winnebago county, Iowa, whither they had removed early in the spring of 1865. On the completion of his education he began teaching school and was the first Norwegian to teach in the English schools of Winnebago county. For many years he was prominently identified with educational work and for six years served as county superintendent of schools in Winnebago county, during the '80s. Prior to this he had filled the office of county supervisor for two terms. In 1866 Mr. Brones purchased his present home farm of one hundred and sixty acres on section 18, Mount Valley township, but did not locate thereon until 1889, since which time he has followed agricultural pursuits with good success. He also owns another farm of the same size in Kossuth county, Iowa.

On the 22d of June, 1881, Mr. Brones was united in marriage to Miss Emma Jacobs, a sister of Thomas Jacobs, a prominent merchant of Forest City. Her father, Jacob Jacobs, came to this country from Norway in 1868 and first located in Howard county, Iowa, but a year later came to Winnebago county, where he made his home until his death in 1902. He was a shipbuilder in Norway but followed farming in Winnebago county. To Mr. and Mrs. Brones have been born five children but two are deceased, those living being J. Warren, now a farmer of Kossuth county; and Alfred G. and Anna M., both at home.

At an early day Mr. Brones joined the Masons and is a republican in politics, being for a number of years a prominent factor in public affairs. He has long been numbered among the foremost citizens of his county and is a man highly respected and esteemed wherever known. For over half a century he has been a resident of this locality and has borne an important part in its development and upbuilding.

Source: History of Winnebago County and Hancock County, Iowa: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement, Vol. II. Pioneer Publishing Company (Chicago), 1917. pp. 332-335.

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