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Fessenden & Allen

FESSENDEN ALLEN

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 8/27/2010 at 22:53:33

History of Woodbury County, Iowa 1984

Fessenden-Allen
By Velma Rasmussen

Mr and Mrs Alfred Fessenden came to Woodbury County form Portage, Wisconsin in 1878. Alfred Fessenden acquired 200 acres, one and one-half miles west of present town of Bronson in August of 1878. Alfred Fessenden’s family consisted of wife, Rachel, son Alfred ‘Fred’, daughters Eleanor, Clara and Alice. Alfred ‘Fred’ remained single. Eleanor married Levi Judson Allen. Clara married A A Wolf. Alice married John T Law.

Alfred Fessenden died November 22, 1883. In 1898, son ‘Fred’ acquired the land. However at his death, February 5, 1916, his mother again became heir and owner. Rachel Fessenden died February 8, 1928 leaving one-third each to three daughters and/or families. In February 1930, Eleanor Allen bought out the heirs.

Previous to this time, in 1898, Levi Judson Allen had bough eighty acres of the original farm and in 1906, had purchased forty acres from Edward and Henrietta Haafke. At the time of L J Allen’s death, June 12, 1928, the 240 acre farm was all together but it took two years of litigation with heirs to settle the estate, when the farm became Eleanor Allen’s.

Harold Allen, son of Jud and Eleanor Allen, farmed the land until 1950 when he bought a ‘Carl Fessel’ farm, 240 acres north of the home farm. Eleanor Allen rented her farm out to daughter, Florence and husband, Carl N Rasmussen, but before they were to move, Carl died. Consequently, son, Lloyd, and his mother operated the farm. At Eleanor Allen’s death in 1957, Florence Rasmussen bought her sister Hattie’s and brother Harold’s shares of the farm and Florence’s son, Lloyd and family continued to operate the farm.

At Florence Rachel Rasmussen’s death, May 25, 1983, Lloyd, an only child inherited the farm. Lloyd’s family includes wife, Velma (nee Ping), son Dean, daughter, Vina.

In August 1978, the farm was already a century farm-having continuously had some descendant of Alfred and Rachel Fessenden living on the farm.


 

Woodbury Biographies maintained by Greg Brown.
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