Torenius S. Brustad

BRUSTAD, KJENSLE, QUALLE

Posted By: Peter Gausmann (email)
Date: 1/21/2010 at 04:38:59

TORENIUS S. BRUSTAD

Torenius S. Brustad, busily engaged in farming on section 26, Logan township, Winnebago county, was born in southeastern Norway, in the stift of Hedemarken, his natal day being December 16, 1872. His parents were Thorson and Ragnild (Kjensle) Brustad, who were farming people of the land of the midnight sun. They had a family of nine children. The parents never came to the United States and both are now deceased.

Torenius S. Brustad came alone to America when a young man of twenty and made his way direct to Lake Mills, where he worked for a farmer for a year. He then rented land in Norway township for three years and practiced close economy and industry during that period in order to gain a sum sufficient to enable him to purchase property. He then bought one hundred and sixty acres on section 26 and eighty acres on section 27, Logan township. At that time it was an undeveloped tract, but he cleared it and made it ready for the plow. He then bent his energies to the development of the fields and was soon gathering good harvests. He has continued to add various improvements as the years have gone on and he now has one of the fine farms of his district.

On the 31st of May, 1901, Mr. Brustad was united in marriage to Miss Caroline Qualle, her parents being T. T. and Mary Qualle, of Norway township. To them have been born three children, Mabel, Selmer and Thelma. The parents are members of the Synod Lutheran church and Mr. Brustad votes with the republican party. He is a substantial and valued citizen of Logan township. Native-born citizens, it often seems, come by the privileges of American life too easily to appreciate them in the fullest degree. At least some of those who have sacrificed and suffered to obtain them value these blessings more highly than those to whom they come as a matter of course. Mr. Brustad was one who made sacrifice to establish his home on the American continent. He has never regretted the change, for here he found the business opportunities which he sought and in their utilization he has worked his way upward to success. He feels that he owes allegiance to his adopted country, under the protection of whose laws he has long lived, and as the years have gone on he has been loyal to his chosen land.

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. 522-523.