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CHAPTER VI

WORTH COUNTY TOWNSHIPS

    The statement has been made before that on September 1, 1857, when the County of Worth was organized, the county was divided into two townships-Bristol, all the territory west of the center of range 21, and Northwood, all the territory east of the same point. In August, 1858, the dividing line between these two townships was changed to the line between ranges 20 and 21.

    At the January, 1859, term of the County Court the judge made an order in reply to a petition presented by Eli Wood and others, authorizing the organization of a civil township to comprise all the congressional townships 98, 99 and 100, range 21. This township was to be known as Hartland and the order designated the house of Eli Wood as the place of holding the first election and the time as the third Monday in February, 1859. This area embraced all of what is now Hartland, Brookfield and Danville townships.

    On February 7, 1859, the board of supervisors ordered the organization of a civil township to consist of congressional township 98, range 19, and township 98, range 20, to be set off from Northwood Township and to be called Jack Oak Township. On March 7, 1859,' the court also ordered the organization of congressional township 100, range 19, and all of township 100, range 20, except sections 27 to 34, inclusive, and including sections 1 and 12 of township 99, range 19, as a civil township to be called New Era. However, a petition was presented by Parmenio Bliton and others asking for the restoration of New Era Township to that of Northwood, and upon June 6, 1859, the judge granted this prayer. The township of Jack Oak apparently was never organized, as no further record is to be found relative to it.

    Under the date of October 20, 1860, the County Court ordered the townships of Fertile and Silver Lake to be organized, and the first election to be held the following November. This was the last township business transacted by the County Court.

    At the September, 1861, term of the board of supervisors a civil township to consist of congressional township 98, ranges 19 and 20, was ordered to be organized under the name of Sunnyside. The first election was ordered held at the house of Peter Crum. This township, though, never completed its organization and remained a part of Northwood.

    In June, 1863, the board ordered the organization of Union Township and an election to be held for township officers at the schoolhouse in subdistrict No. 5. Brookfield Township was also ordered to perfect its organization and to hold an election at the home of Martin V. Bentley, in the Village of Glenmary.

    In September, 1872, the board adopted a resolution to make the lines and boundaries of the townships in Worth County conform to the congressional lines. Hitherto the boundaries of the civil townships were irregular and of different shape. Two new townships were also ordered to be organized-those of Danville and Deer Creek, the former to consist of township 98, range 21, and the latter of townships 99 and 100, range 19. In June, 1873, congressional township 99, range 20, was ordered to be organized as a civil township under the name of Kensett. At the April, 1877, session of the board, Barton Township was ordered organized from congressional township 99, range 19. The townships in Worth County were formally organized in the following order and upon the following dates:

Northwood Township, October 13, 1857.
Bristol Township, October 13, 1857.
Hartland Township, February 21, 1859.
Fertile Township, October 20, 1860.
Silver Lake Township, October 20, 1860.
Union Township, October 13, 1863
Brookfield Township, October 13, 1863.
Danville Township, November 5, 1872.
Deer Creek Township, November 5, 1872.
Kensett Township, October 14, 1873
Barton Township, October 9, 1877.
Lincoln Township, November 7, 1876.

    Northwood incorporate was separated from the remainder of Northwood Township and made independent April 3, 1876, although the town had been incorporated prior to this date.

    The name of Northwood Township was changed to Grove Township on January 7, 1902, by the board of supervisors.

 

BARTON TOWNSHIP

    The Township of Barton lies in the extreme eastern end of Worth County and is bounded on the north by Deer Creek Township, on the east by Mitchell County, and on the south by Union Township and on the west by Kensett Township. The township comprises all of congressional township 99 north, range 19 west. As stated before, the township was set off from Deer Creek Township on April 3, 1877, and was named after an old English town by Reuben Wiggins.

    L. 0. Anderson is credited with being the first settler in this township. In the spring of 1855 he stopped on section I, just over the county line; at the time being the only settler in Deer Creek Township, which then included Barton. Lars Allanson was probably the next to locate within the township, this in 1867. Section II was his choice of location. Nels Colbertson came to the township in 1869 from Mitchell County and settled on section 12. Ole Severson came in 1868, choosing a home site on section II. Bjorn Ellingson settled on section II in the spring of 1870.

    The first marriage in Barton Township was that of L. 0. Anderson and Sarah Severson, which occurred June 13, 1856. The birth of their son, Ole L., February 1, 1857, was the first birth in the township. The first death was that of Mrs. Anderson on February 18, 1867. She had the unique distinction of being the first bride, the first mother and the first to die in Barton Township.

    One village named Bolan is located in this township. This small community had its beginning when the railroad, now the Chicago Great Western, was constructed in 1886. The platting occurred the next year, upon land then owned by Anna Alexander. The first store in this village was conducted by J. H. Wambeam; the first grain elevator was built by Cameron & Bosworth; and the first blacksmith shop was operated by Joseph Vendal.

 

BRISTOL TOWNSHIP

    Bristol Township lies in the extreme western part of the county, comprising all of congressional township 99 north, range 22 west, and is bounded as follows: On the north by Silver Lake Township, on the east by Brookfield Township, on the south by Fertile Township, and on the west by Winnebago County.

    Bristol Township was organized at the same time as the county and, as stated before, was one of the two first townships. The first election was held on October 13, 1857, when there were sixty-eight ballots cast. The first officers chosen were: Alonzo Frink and Martin V. Bentley, justices of the peace; George S. McPherson, clerk; Stephen Wright and Isaac Cummings, constables; Otis Greeley, road supervisor; Frank E. Wiggins, Augustus L. Millard and Charles Johnson, trustees.

    The first settler in Bristol Township was Charles Johnson, who made a claim near the old Rice Lake basin on May 19, 1855. He built here the first house in the township-a simple log cabin. In the following autumn Chauncey S. Lane, Reuben Wiggins, Banjamin PIoker and John M. Bennett, the latter with his family, located their claims and built their small homes on section 17, near the waters of Rice Lake. Shortly after they had settled here Haskell Skinner, with his family, joined them. Here the small group spent the winter months, but when spring came they decided as a body to change their residence to a more convenient locality. Accordingly a concerted removal was made to a point a mile north, near the site of the Village of Bristol.

    Shortly after the colony had found comfort in its new home it was augmented by the arrival of Otis and Henry Greeley and Royal and W. Tyler, all of whom brought their families but Henry Greeley. These people formed the nucleus of Bristol Village the first county seat. In July, Dr. James Keeler, the first county judge, came to the settlement. He returned to Bremer County for his wife and child, arriving here for permanent settlement in September, 1856. With him came Alonzo Frink and A. L. Millard. just about this same time, in August to be exact, J. S. Loveland, Isaac Cummings, John Sperrin and William S. Fuller arrived, and in October George McPherson made his appearance.

    Reverends Forbes and Strobridge were new comers in 1857 and in 1858 William J. Clark located in the township. Other early settlers of the township were: John Cullen, Otis Greeley, Knud H. Trostem, Jokum Olsen, Alfred Burdick, William Todd, E. 0. Ellingson, John Halvorson, Stener Gunderson Kinel, Ingerbret Olsen Kaasa, Lars Hagen, T. E. Wright and I. H. Miller.

    The first marriage in Bristol Township was that of Anson M. Stewart and Helen M. Convers on June 28, 1858.

    The first birth was that of Joseph B., son of Dr. James Keeler, October 15, 1856.

    The first death was that of the infant child of Alonzo Frink. The exact date of this child's death is unknown.

 

BRISTOL VILLAGE

    Although little is left of the Village of Bristol, at one time this small community was the principal place in the county and bid fair to become one of the most important towns in northern Iowa. It is the pioneer village of Worth County, for here was made the first settlement of sufficient size to warrant the appellation of town.

    The postoffice was established at Bristol October 30, 1857, with Dr. James Keeler as the first postmaster. He continued in this office for nine years and was succeeded by T. Wright. H. N. Keeler, Benjamin Bloker and George Platts were other early postmasters of Bristol.

    The village is located on sections 5 and 8, near the head of Elk Creek, within 11/2miles from the west line of the county. When the first settlers removed here in 1856 from the shore of Rice Lake they did not intend to start a village, but in the spring of 1857 J. S. Loveland and Chauncey S. Lane laid out the village plat and filed it in the courthouse of Mitchell County, Worth County not then having been organized. The date of filing was May 4, 1857, and the plat is presented upon the record as the property of Lane and Loveland. From the fact that all the subsequent deeds to the village plat were in Loveland's name, it is to be supposed that he acquired Lane's interest soon after the platting.

    The first house erected in the village was built of logs by John M. Bennett. The first frame structure was--built in the summer of 1857 by Charles D. Johnson and Lorin B. 'I'urnure; the latter opened it as a tavern. Here the first election was held. In the winter of 1856-57 a Mr. Woods, of Osage, Mitchell County, opened a small store, with James Paxton as clerk. Woods carried a meager stock of general merchandise. In the succeeding spring C. S. Lane hauled a stock of goods from Dubuque and offered it for sale. Benjamin Bloker and H. N. Keeler also kept stores in the village during the early days. The first blacksmith was Isaac Cummings, who located and opened his shop during the month of May, 1857. In 1858 the first carpenter shop was established in the village.

    The story of Bristol's well-laid plans for making herself the county seat of Worth County is an interesting one. The description of the fight between Bristol and Northwood has been given in Chapter V, but the contest which resulted in placing the question to a vote of the people was preceded by several notable efforts of the Bristol people to improve their chances for holding the county seat honor. In 1856 and 1857 the greater number of the settlers located in the western part of the county and quickly made this section the principal one in the civil division. Bristol's only disadvantage was its position far to the west of the geographical center of the county, which has always been considered the proper location for a county seat. With this in view, Chauncey S. Lane and several of his friends started a scheme whereby the eastern half of Worth County was to be released to Mitchell County and the eastern half of Winnebago absorbed by Worth, thus lacing Bristol in the center of the newly bounded county. Lane and his associates presented this plan to the Legislature at the session of 1857-58, and this body, strange to say, passed a bill authorizing the change, which bill was sent to the governor for his signature. However, there were other influences working which quickly spelled the defeat of the Bristol efforts. Mr. Bentley, a large landowner and who owned the site of the Village of Glen Mary, desired the county seat for his village. He had prestige with the governor and used this advantage against Lane, with the result that the governor completely ignored the bill. This ended the plans of the Bistolites for a geographical change in Worth County.

    In the early spring of 1858 Samuel Murdock, of Clayton County, then judge of the Tenth judicial District, appointed 0. P. Harwood, of Mitchell; Van Patten, of Cerro Gordo, and George Finney, of Winnebago, commissioners for the location of the county seat of Worth County. On May 7, 1858, they chose Bristol, and here all the count business was transacted until 1863, when Northwood dispossessed Bristol of the distinction by a vote of 115 to 40.

    The people of Bristol later claimed that the vote in their own township was extremely small, owing to the fact that so many of the legal voters were in the Union army, including Chauncey S. Lane himself, the principal champion of their rights. The loss of the courthouse was a heavy blow for the village, many of its citizens moving to other parts of the country and many of the buildings were removed to Lake Mills, in Winnebago County. Bristol has remained in a state of low ebb from that time until the present.

 

JOICE

    The Town of Joice, like Hanlontown owes its existence and consequent success as one of the smaller trading centers to the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad. A postoffice was established here, with A. 0. Bakken as postmaster, in addition to his work as storekeeper, and thus the town was started. The town was destined to be an agricultural center, a trading point for the farmers of Bristol Township, and so the second business venture was the Farmers Savings Bank, spoken of in the banking chapter. In 1899 the Nye, Schneider-Fowler Company erected the first elevator, and in the following year the Northern Grain Company erected another. This was afterward purchased by the Farmers' Incorporated Co-operative Society of Joice and operated by them. In 1901 Hammer & Malmin started the second merchandise store. Holstad & Erickson opened the first hardware store in 1901. Thomas Anderson was the first blacksmith in the village.

    On April 12, 1913, an election was held to determine the question of incorporation. A petition had previously been presented to the Legislature by George Rowe, W. A. Crosby and others. By a vote Of 36 to 6 the people evidenced their desire for incorporation, and accordingly the judge of the District Court ordered the same. The first officers of Joice were: H. K. Nelson, mayor; 0. T. Gordon, clerk; M. 0. Evans, treasurer: 0. E. Skinner, 0. W. Bilstad, N. N. Egge, J. H. Bang and H. L. Rygh, councilmen.

 

BROOKFIELD TOWNSHIP

    The Township of Brookfield comprises all the territory known as congressional township 99 north, range 21 west, and is bounded on the north by Hartland Township, on the east by Kensett Township, on the south by Danville Township and on the west by Bristol Township.

    As to the first settler of this civil division there has been a difference of opinion among the pioneers and among those who have written of the early history of the county. The question has been unanswered and so will remain. Ole Amundson, Amos Helgeson and Edmund Wright settled in the township in the spring of 1855, the first two on sections 14 and 15 and the latter on section 25. Helgeson died the autumn of the same year. Also, about the same time, Nils Levorson located on the southeast quarter of section 15, where he stayed for a short time, then removed to Mitchell County. He died in the service of the Union during the Rebellion.

    Ole Peterson, Andrew Henryson, Herbrand L. Olson and Amos Levorson arrived in the year 1856 and settled in the township. About this time, or a little earlier, Amos L. Langeberg, of Rock County, Wisconsin, purchased 560 acres of land at the land office in Decorah. In 1857 came Edward Wright, Martin V. Bentley and his brother, Amos Bentley, and located on section 25; also Levor Levorson Langeberg located here in the same year. A few years later Amos Bentley and Edward Wright moved back to Missouri.

    From this time until the year 1860 no settlers came into the township, but in the year named Aslag Tostenson Bergo and John Crosier located here. The settlers who came in 1861 were Erick N. Jorde and his three sons, Nils, Amos and Elling. In 1862 J. B. Thompson came. In 1864 there arrived Ole Harmon Numedahl and his four sons, Albert, Helge, Hermund and Ole; also Esral Anderson. In 1865 Jesse M. Cooper located in the township. The year 1866 brought in quite a number of settlers, among them Erick Hanson, Hans Hanson, Andrew 0. Harmon, Knudt A. Myer and his two sons, Helge K. and Amund K., Ole Herbrandson and Knudt I. Bakke. In 1867 came Nils A. Striken, Ole 0. Roppe and Pedar Mickelson. Ole E. Sanden, Peder Christianson Aasen, Ole 0. Tenold, Lars T. Hague and Andre Nummedahl arrived in 1868. Erick Gutterud settled here in 1869, and in the following year came Andrew Hill, Joseph Pearson, Michael T. Hegland, Tolef Stenson and Bjorn Asbjornson. In 1872 the rate of settlement again increased and it is known that in this year the following took up their residence in the township: Ole H. Vold, his sons Halgrim, Embrik and Truls, John Stenson, Asbjorn Asbjornson, Jr., Stenar Amundson, Syver Tragethen, Levor 0. Brunsvold, Knudt Mostrom, John Mostrom, Syver Urdahl, John H. Dokken, Iver Harmon, Nils H. Butler and John Tenold.

    The Township of Brookfield was organized October 13, 1863, the first election occurring at the schoolhouse located southeast of the Village of Glenmary, which school was later destroyed by fire. The officers chosen at this first election were: Amos Leverson Langeberg, township clerk; Aslag T. Bergo, Ole Amundson Fluto and Martin V. Bentley, trustees.

    The first birth in the township was that of Julia, daughter of Amos Helgeson in the fall of 1855. Her death occurred when she was about twelve years of age.

    The first white male child born in the township was Peter, son of Ole and Gertrude Peterson, on March 24, 1857.

    The first death here was that of Amos Helgeson in the autumn of 1855. He was buried in the first township cemetery, on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter of section 14.

    The first marriage in the township was that of Levi Leverson and Mary Johnson in the spring of 1857, the ceremony being performed by Rev. C. L. Clausen of St. Ansgar.

    The absence of a railroad in Brookfield has prevented the growth of any town of size within its borders. Tenold postoffice was established May 28, 1881,and Ole 0. Tenold was appointed the first postmaster. Tenold and his neighbors carried the mail from Northwood until July 1, 1883, when a mail route was established from Northwood to Fertile by way of Tenold and Hirondelle. There is no record of the platting of this village.

    The Village of Glenmary once existed in name, when the county seat was about to be located by the commissioners appointed for that purpose. Bristol and Northwood were at that time the only villages in the county, so G. B. Buttles and Martin V. Bentley conceived the idea of locating the town of Glenmary on the northeast quarter of section 25, and having it made the county seat. The selection of Bristol by the commissioners, however, defeated their purpose.

 

DEER CREEK TOWNSHIP

    Deer Creek Township, located in the extreme northeastern corner of Worth County, comprises congressional township 100 north, range 19 west. It was organized as such on November 5, 1872.

    For many years after the first settlement of Worth County very little attention was paid to this corner of the county by the incoming pioneers. The reason for this is not apparent, except that it was far removed from the county seat at Bristol and the locations which were generally favored by others. From 1866 until 1878 settlement increased in measurable extent in Deer Creek Township.

    The first settler in this township was Hans Tollefson, father of Martin Hanson, who first came here in 1855. Ole Knudtson came into the township in 1860, accompanied by his young boy, Gilbert G. Olson. A. G. Dahl was a settler about the year 1862, not locating permanently, however, until ten years later. In 1864 Robert Leedle, an Englishman, came to Deer Creek Township and opened a farm. Ole Hanson came to the township in 1865 and located upon section 36. He lived here until June 30, 1881, when he died. Ole 0. Gordon, a native of Norway, came to America in 1854 and to Worth County in 1866, where he located on section 36. Andrew Milne, a Scotchman, located on section 13 in 1868. Here he lived until 1882, then removed, with his family, to Dakota. Ephraim and Harrison H. Wiley located on sections 12 and 13 in 1869, but in 1881 the former removed to Dakota. E. T. Wilkins, an Englishman, came here from Wisconsin in 1868 and settled on section 24. On account of poor health, he was obliged to sell out in 1887 and return to Wisconsin, where he died shortly afterward.

    In 1871 George Sumption and Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Pike came directly from England and located on section 23. Sumption later moved to Dakota, but Pike remained in this township. Gustaf Anderson was a settler in 1869. Paul A. Paulson settled on section 8 in 1870. Ole J. Borshem located on section 7 in 1876, later retired to Northwood and there died in 1910. Iver Hendrickson purchased a part of section 8 in 1874. Ransom H. Root was a settler in the year 1868. Adam Ramsey, a native of Scotland, came to Worth County in June, 1870, and broke land on section 14 of this township, afterwards moving over into Mitchell County. William Hays settled on section 23 in 1874. Other early settlers of Deer Creek were: Daniel Young, Nels 0. Gordon, A. M. Carbarry, Amos McKinley, George Fulton, William Bordwell, Holm Brothers, Joseph Schuder and A. W. Beach.

    The first marriage in the township was that of Martin Hanson and Louisa Nelson, on July 8, 1863, and their daughter, born the next year, was probably the first white child born in this civil division. One village, called Melton, also Meltonville, was located in this township on section 25 in 1886. The Chicago Great Western Railway, which crossed a corner of the township in this year, created the station.

 

DANVILLE TOWNSHIP

    Congressional township 98 north, range 21 west, known as Danville Township, is bounded on the north by Brookfield Township, on the east by Lincoln Township, on the south by Cerro Gordo County and on the west by Fertile Township. The township was organized November 5, 1872, in accordance with an order from the board of supervisors. The first election was held at the Trebilcock schoolhouse on the northwest quarter of section 26. Prior to this, Abraham Beyer, Jonathan Williams, Samuel Trebilcock and Francis Lang were chosen judges of election and Alexander Baker and A. C. Blackmore clerks. There were fifteen ballots cast at this election, and the following officers chosen: Abraham Beyer, Francis Lang and Jonathan Williams, trustees; A. C. Blackmore, clerk; Alexander Baker, assessor; Samuel Trebilcock and Alexander Baker, justices of the peace; Robert Trebilcock and Frederick Beaver, constables.

    The first settlement in Danville Township was made by John Trebilcock. In the spring of 1865 he opened a farm on the north half of section 23, where he built a frame house, 15 by 26 feet, and one and a half stories high. Part of the lumber used in the construction was hauled from Bristol and part from Waverly, in Bremer County. Trebilcock was a native of England, born there in 1803. After his marriage he emigrated to America and lived in New Jersey for ten years. He then returned to England for a year, when he came back across the seas to Toronto, Canada. In 1849 he moved to Kenosha County, Wisconsin, where he lived for sixteen years, then came to Worth County, Iowa. He died here on February 6, 1869.

    The second settler in the township was A. C. Blackmore, who later became political life of the county. He located on the southeast very prominent in the quarter of section 30 in 1866. Blackmore was born in New York State, August 19, 1843, where he spent his youthful days. During the Rebellion he served in the Sixty-fourth New York Infantry and suffered a severe wound at Spottsylvania. After the war he came to Iowa and for many years occupied a prominent position in this county. He served as auditor of the county and was a representative from this district in the thirty-second and thirty-third General Assemblies.

    H. H. Myli was a settler in this township in 1872. Frank Lang located here in 1869 and Frederick Beaver came in 1870. Other settlers were: Thomas Bray, 187I, on section 20; Ole Thorson, 187I, section 19; Abraham Beyer, 1872; William F. Gile, 1872, section 14; Augustus Cotise, 1872, section 22; S. N. Storre, 1873, section 8; H. C. Wiser, 1874, section 35; Asahel Hitchcock, 1874, section 30; Julius C. Thompson, 1875, section 35; Ole 0. Blegen, 1876, section 11; Nels N. Storre, 1877; Hans N. Langseth, 1877; Justus Spickerman, 1878; John A. Wetmore, Ole Benson, Ole N. Brunsvold, John Kuchar, J. E. Foss, John H. Hanson, Knudt Anderson, Ole H. Myli and David Williams.

    The first marriage within the township was that of Stephen Parker and Elizabeth Trebilcock, March 7, 1869. The first death in the township was that of John Trebilcock, the first settler, February 6, 1869. He was buried on the farm which he located upon his arrival in the township.

    Hirondelle was a small postoffice village established on July 20, 1880, with Mrs. J. M. Lang as postmaster. The office was kept at her home on the Southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 30. Mails were received from Manly junction twice a week until July, 1883, then the mail came from Northwood twice a week. This office has been discontinued and the village has disappeared.

 

HANLONTOWN

    Upon section 25, Fertile Township, and section 30, Danville Township, is located the Town of Hanlontown, a prosperous little community of 180 people, which had its inception at the time of the building of the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad across the southwestern corner of the county in the late '90s. Not long after the town had received its first growth, a petition signed by E. W. Calhoun, W. F. Long, Martin Lewis and others was presented to the District Court, praying for incorporation. This petition was presented September 10, 1901, and, by order of the court, an election was held November 2d upon the proposition of incorporating. The citizens voted in favor of it, and accordingly judge Clyde of the District Court declared the community incorporated on December 5th. The first officers of the town were: E. H. Prescott, mayor; S. C. Monson, clerk; T. 0. Rye, treasurer; 0. E. Skinnes, assessor; F. W. Peck, T. I. Kaasa, Halvor Larson, George Barrett, W. W. Brown and A. W. Hanson, councilmen. As a means of identifying the prominent citizens of the time, those who were the means of placing Hanlontown prominently upon the map, the list of voters at this first election is appended: J. C. Calhoun, W. F. Long, George Johnson, E. W. Calhoun, E. R. Calhoun, Floid Lewis, S. C. Monson, Martin Lewis, A. 0. Rye, P. 0. Peterson, L. L. Jeglum, H. H. Myli, A. G. Brown, J. A. Coad, E. F. Carter, 0. E. Gunderson, H. B. Winchell, W. R. Brown, T. 0. Rye, F. A. Russell, C. M. Tuttle, F. A. Peck, H. Larson, G. R. Winchell, G. W. Barrett, T. I. Kaasa, E. W. Thomas, W. S. Crouch, F. M. Carter, E. L. Stewart, F. H. Worder, E. H. Prescott, A. C. Monson, M. G. Spielman, G. N. Gilbertson,

 

FERTILE TOWNSHIP

    Fertile Township is located in the extreme southwestern corner of Worth County and comprises all of congressional township 98 north, range 22 West. Fertile Township was organized by an order from judge Keeler, dated October 20, 1860, in which all of congressional township 98 north, range 22 west, with sections 29, 30, 31 and 32 from Bristol Township, was to be formed into a civil township called Fertile. In this order the county judge authorized John Morris to post notices calling a meeting of the legal voters of the township, which was to be held at the house of Warren Caswell on the first Tuesday of November, 1860. This election was held, but was not very pretentious, as only five ballots were cast, resulting in the election of the following officers: John Morris, supervisor; John Morris, Warren Caswell, William K. Fankell, trustees; William Rhodes, clerk; William J. Clark, assessor; William Rhodes and William J. Clark, justices of the peace; and William K. Fankell, constable. The first election held in what is now Fertile Township was at the house of William Rhodes in October,1861. just six votes were cast.

    The first settler in Fertile Township was William Rhodes. He came to Iowa in 1856 and after stopping for a short time at Charles City, came to Fertile Township. Mr. Rhodes experience in locating in Worth County is typical of the hardships encountered by the pioneers. This experience of his is well described in the History of Worth and Mitchell Counties, published in 1884, as follows:

    "While he was in Mason City Mr. Rhodes became acquainted with a man who, in conversation, told him of the existence of a mill site in this locality, and he, therefore, started out on a voyage of discovery. When he arrived at the spot, which was at or near the present site of the village of Fertile, he admired the. location, and determined to become the owner thereof. He returned to Charles City and making the necessary arrangements, purchased tools, supplies, etc., loaded up his wagon drawn by oxen and started for this then boundless prairie. He arrived here August 6, 1856. His first labor was to build a grindstone frame to grind his scythe that he might cut grass for his oxen. Here he erected an humble log cabin, going to Owens Grove, in Cerro Gordo County, for lumber to roof it in. This mansion was 14 by 18 feet in size, with a Dutch fireplace at one end. In this house he took up his residence, three weeks at a time often passing without a sight of his fellow creatures. The latch string was always hung out and when he had occasion to be absent from home it was his custom to chalk upon the door, 'Walk in and help yourselves.' This fall deer were plenty, wild fruits of all kinds were abundant and he 'lived in clover,' as the saying is, even if his nearest neighbor was eight miles away. Mr. Rhodes was at this time a single man. After completing his house and fixing up about it, he commenced to put in a dam across the creek, for his mill. This he completed satisfactorily and had the mill up, machinery all in, and a sawmill ready for operation, by the next July.

    "He ran this mill until the spring of 1858, when the high water cut around the south end of the dam. Business was compelled to halt for a short time while this was repaired. Everything apparently in good condition when this break was repaired, the mill was again started, but the fates were unpropitious, for that same night rain began to fall in torrents and when morning dawned the creek had again swollen, cut around the dam and made a clean sweep of some forty feet of the embankment. Mr. Rhodes said that 'this was the only time in his life that he felt sick or discouraged over any loss.

    "This year of 1858 was known to all the old settlers as the 'wet season,' and Lime Creek was not fordable at any time during the summer and, of course, no work could be done upon the dam. In the month of February news came to Mr. Rhodes of the death of his father in Roscoe, Ill., and he now debated in his own mind as to whether it would be better to leave the country, and let his creditors fall heir to all his mill property, or to stick to it manfully and work it through. In the end he determined to adopt the latter course, sink or swim. Accordingly, in the latter part of February, 1859, he got some help, cut out the ice in the creek, and extended his mill dam fifty feet and again started the mill. He now met no further obstacles and continued to operate it with considerable success until August 22, 1862, when he enlisted in Company B, Thirty-second Iowa Infantry, with which he served until 1865, when he returned to Fertile Township. He now went to work again and ran the sawmill, which he had improved, until 1868, when he erected a grist-mill on its site. This building was 34 by 42 feet in dimensions, 2 1/2 stories high, had three run of stone, and a capacity of turning out some fifty barrels of first-class flour per diem."

    The next settler in the township was William K. Fankell in 1857. He located on the southwest quarter of section 36. He was not a married man, but brought his mother and sister with him. E. S. Winan, a brother-in-law of the above, came at the same time and settled on the northeast quarter of section 36. He returned to Wisconsin with his family the same fall and did not return until 1865, after serving the Union in the Civil war. No other settlers came into the township until just after the war, in 1865, when Henry and Charles Platts came here from Bristol and located on the northeast quarter of section 26. Henry Platts brought his family with him, but Charles was not married.

    The first birth in Fertile Township was that of John Fenton, son of William and Hannah Rhodes, on December 1, 1861

    The first death was that of a daughter of Luther Place, during the winter of 1856-57. It was necessary to carry a casket for the child's body from Mason City on a hand sled, so large were the snow drifts. Place was an employee of Rhodes.

    The first marriage was that of Marcus 0. Blackmore and Louise Fankell, July 2, 1868. Elder Mason, a Congregational minister, performed the ceremony.

    The first blacksmith was David W. Fisher, who came from Lyons, Ia., in the spring of 1864. He later became a farmer, which vocation he followed until his death in the spring of 1880.

    The first breaking in the township was done by Gabriel Pence, for William Rhodes, in 1856, for a garden. Here the first vegetables were raised. The first wheat was raised by William K. Fankell in 1859.

    It is said that during the severe winter of 1856-57 supplies for the small settlement at Fertile had to be hauled from Mason City on small hand sleds. The crust of the deep snow was strong enough to bear the weight of a man, but not thick enough to support a team.

    Other early settlers of Fertile Township were: John McEnelly, 1862, section 20; George A. Wescott, 1868, section 9; Robertson Johnson, 1868, section 8; Isaac White, 1869, section 33; Thomas R. Gaskill, 1869; H. Ouverson, 1875; G. K. Daley, J. C. Calhoun, Nils Oleson Fjeld, Ole Nilson Fjeld, T. Knudtson, Andrew Grove, A. Aasenhus, Nels 0. Brunsvold, Eric G. Trustem, W. L. Bilstad, Ole W. Bilstad, Lars W. Bilstad, Eric H. Loftsgarden, Andrew N. Hauge, K. Paulson, Silas L. Olmstead, Michael Kelley, John A. Ford, H. 0. Horland, Ole A.Rye, Simon Larson, Henry L. Escherich, K. K. Sagen, William W. Kirk and C. H. Fryer.

 

FERTILE VILLAGE

    Upon sections 34 and 35 of Fertile Township is located one of the several prosperous villages of Worth County-that of Fertile. The postoffice at Fertile was established in 1868 and William Rhodes was appointed postmaster. He kept the office at his dwelling and here received mail once each week from Mason City, by way of Rock postoffice in Cerro Gordo County. After a year the office was discontinued and for another year the settlers were without it. Then it was re-established with Ole Ouverson as postmaster. Andrew Grove was the second postmaster after the re-establishment.

    Fertile was platted in 1877 and the plat filed at the county courthouse on August 21st of that year. Thomas Emsley, of Mason City, was the owner of the town site and sold the first lot thereon to Grove and Kirk on October 5, 1877. The town itself really dates from the first settlement of the township, when William Rhodes came in and erected his frame house on the site. Then came William K. Fankell and E. S. Winans.

    The story has been told that a land speculator once owned some land near the village site in previous years and persuaded some map-drawers to locate a town on their chart, which he pretended was laid out on section 34 and called Fontanelle. The surrounding settlers gave the paper village the name of "Putsey."

    The first store in the village was opened by Ole Ouverson in 1872, occupying a small frame building. In 1874 K. Paulson was admitted as a partner. The latter, though, remained but a year, then sold back his interest to Ouverson and returned to Wisconsin, whence he came. Ouverson conducted the business alone until the fall of 1875, when he sold out to the firm of Grove & Kirk, who increased the scope of the business. Grove, as postmaster, conducted the office in this store. In October, 1882, K. Paulson commenced business here and erected a store building of frame. Halver Ouverson began the blacksmithing trade in Fertile in 1875. Gunder K. Daley, however, erected the first shop here in 1870. The latter's first shop was 12 by 14 feet and 10 feet high. This constituted the first business activities of Fertile Village.

    Fertile was incorporated April 17, 1908, and the, following officers elected: E. M Lang, mayor; A, A. Elthon, P. J. Ouverson, J. A. Johnson, J. A. Ellefson, 0. H. Rholl, councilmen; C. Eikenberry, clerk; J. F. Rhodes, treasurer; G. A. Rye, assessor.

    A postoffice called Nordland was established in Fertile Township in the spring of 1879 at the house of Simon Larson, on section 8. Mails were brought by himself and neighbors from Fertile until October, 1879, when a mail route was started from Bristol to Fertile. Larson continued in charge of the office until January, 1880, when L. W. Bilstad had the office at his house, on section 7. Asle K. Rank next held the office. However, the coming of the rural free delivery routes caused this small office and many others like it to be abolished.

 

HARTLAND TOWNSHIP

    Lying in the northern tier of townships is Hartland, made up of congressional township 100 north, range 21 west. It is bounded on the north by the State of Minnesota, on the east by Grove Township, on the south by Brookfield Township and on the west by Silver Lake Township.

    Hartland Township was organized on the 21st day of February, 1859, and then embraced the present townships of Hartland, Brookfield and Danville. On the date mentioned an election was held at the house of Eli Wood, on Section 9, and the following township officers chosen: Duncan McKercher, justice (did not qualify) ; Christopher Pickell was appointed in his stead; William H. Russell, clerk; Nathan Swain, supervisor; Lafayette Parr, constable (did not serve, and A. L. Towne named for the office); Eli Wood, William H. Perkins, Sr., and W. H. Perkins, Jr., trustees.

    Abraham Christopherson, a native of Norway, settled on section 24 and constructed the first house in the township in the spring of 1855. Here he lived until his death in the early '60s. About the same time Ole A. Lee, Aslag Lee and Sever Johnson came into the township. Ole Lee made a claim on section 15 and the last two named located on section 12. There is some doubt as to which of the above four men made the first settlement, but it is probable that they came in together.

    Another early comer was John S. Mark, who made his claim on section 24 in the autumn of 1855, where he lived until his death about 1882. Mark was a soldier in the Civil war, also his son, Sever, who died while in the service of his country.

    G. Jorgenson made a claim on section 36 in 18 making a total of six settlers, in Hartland Township at the end of the year 1855. In the spring of 1856 Horace Crandall, Stephen, Jonathan, Chester and Edmund Wright and a Mr. Crane made a settlement at Wright's Grove in the northwest part of the township. Stephen and Edmund Wright and H. Crandall remained just a short time in the township, and Jonathan Wright. after fifteen years, returned to his home in the East. Chester Wright moved into Northwood (Grove) Township about 1875 and there resided until his death in 1910. Benton Little was an addition to the colony about the same time, also Eli Wood, who located on section 9. Wood had been a soldier in the Mexican war under the gallant General Worth. When this county was organized Wood made an immediate effort to have the new county named after his favorite general; this, undoubtedly, is the source of the name of Worth County. Wood also enlisted in Company A, Twenty-first Iowa Infantry, when the Civil war broke out, and died while in the service.

    Michael Paulson, a native of Norway, was another pioneer of 1856. He located on section 24, where he lived until 1885, when he moved to North Dakota. Christian Evenson located on section 12. Elling Ellingson Svensrud made a claim on section 12 and became a permanent settler, also became one of the most prominent men in the affairs of the township. His death occurred in the year 1908.

    Beginning with the year 1857 a larger number of settlers chose Hartland Township for their homes. Those who took up claims were: John D. Johnson, Knudt D. Johnson, Knudt Nelson Kvittingen, Halvor Berg, Ole Berg, Edwin Haraldson, Nels Anderson Hengesteg, William H. Perkins, David Wright, John E. Towne, A. L. Towne and Christopher Pickell. Knudt D. Johnson located on section 25 and lived there until 1886, when he moved to Bristol Township, where he died in 1906.

    Knudt Nelson Kvittingen made his first claim on section 14, also Halvor Berg. After roaming around for some time the latter moved into North Dakota in 1873. Nels A. Hengesteg settled on section 29, where he resided until he died in 1876. He was a native Norwegian and had come to America in 1853, living in Dane County, Wisconsin, prior to his arrival in Iowa. Edwin Haraldson bought a claim on section 13; he later acquired a residence in Fertile Township and there spent the remainder of his life. John D. Johnson, who landed on American shores from Norway in 1849, made his claim on the southwest quarter of section 23, where he "threw up" his log cabin. His death occurred March 4, 1908. Ole Berg claimed on section 23; he died in 1862, leaving a wife and seven children. John E. Towne, born in New York State, afterward a resident of Wisconsin, located on section 8, where he made his home during his life. His son, A. L. Towne, located on section 17 in 1857. He was a member of Company B, Thirty-second Iow a Volunteer Infantry, during the Rebellion, and after the war became a prominent citizen and farmer of Worth County.

    A postoffice was established at Hartland in April, 1860, and William H. Russell appointed postmaster. The business was conducted at his residence on section 8. In September, 1864, he was succeeded by William H. Perkins, who held office until 1866, followed by Russell again. In 1873 Chester Wright became postmaster and in 1875 the office was discontinued.

    The postoffice of "Silver Lake" was moved from Silver Lake Township to Hartland Township about 1892 and continued until 1907, then discontinued.

    The first white child born in Hartland Township was William H. Perkins, son of William H. and Louisa Perkins, on February 16, 1858.

    The first death was that of a Mr. Hall, cook for the Pennybaker surveying party. The story of the drowning of this companionable Irishman is described in Chapter IV.

    It is probable that the first marriage in the township was that of Hiram Mayne and Emeline Pickell in the fall of 1857. The couple had to go over the Minnesota line to find anyone qualified to perform the ceremony. They traveled in a wagon drawn by oxen. The first marriage license issued in Worth County to Hartland Township people bears the date of September 18, 1858, and was issued to Elling Ellingson Svensrud and Anna Abrahamson.

 

KENSETT TOWNSHIP

    Congressional township 99 north, range 20 west, is known as Kensett Township, and is bounded on the north by Grove Township and Northwood corporation, on the east by Barton Township, on the south by Lincoln Township and on the west by Brookfield Township.

    Kensett Township was organized in 1876, the election taking place on October 14th. The officers chosen were: J. M. Slosson, Ira Bartlett and Iver Butler, trustees; C. W. Clausen, clerk; Perry J. Perkins, assessor; E. Cleophas and Ira Finch, justices; H. B. Cornick and Ira Bartlett, constables.

    It is said that the first settler upon the land now within the Township of Kensett was one J. Wright, who constructed a hut upon the ground now owned by the county farm in 1856. He lived there for a couple of years, then moved back to Missouri with his brother, T. E. Wright, who lived at Glenmary, in Brookfield Township. Chester Wright, well known for many years in Worth County, was a son of J. Wright.

    In 1860 William Todd, an Englishman, located on the east half of the southwest quarter of section 19. After a few years he returned to his native country. A Canadian named Henry Pangburn located on land adjoining Todd in 1867 and married Todd's daughter. In 1861 Helge 0. Steim and Ole Johnson settled on the west half of section 6. In the south part of the township Arne Luckasson was one of the early pioneers and part of the town plat of Kensett is upon a former piece of his farm. H. P. Gaarder was another in this vicinity. John M. Slosson and Nels T. Kjerland were settlers on the east side of the Shell Rock River. Others who may be placed on the roll of Kensett Township pioneers are: Benjamin Bloker, John Weleneth, Valentine Schaub, Henry Fisher, N. J. Nelson and Villeroy Abbey.

    The first child born in this township is supposed to have been William S. Todd, a son of William Todd, on June 3, 1867.

    The first death was that of Gjertine Bertine Savre, daughter of K. E. Savre, who died upon February 26, 1872.

 

TOWN OF KENSETT

    The Town of Kensett was laid out and surveyed during the year 1872. The original owners of the town plat were James Thompson, C. C. Gillman and J. L. Sherman. The plat was filed October 11, 1872.

    The postoffice at Kensett was established in April, 1876, and C. Cleophas appointed postmaster. Kensett may be said to have been the result of the railroad which was built through the township in 1871. It quickly became a center of trade and during the '70s and '8os held the position as one of the principal marketing places of this territory. The only railroad in the county then passed through the village, which brought the grain from outlying arts of the county here to be shipped. The building of railroads through the east and west portions of Worth County, however, has eliminated this trade to a large extent. Kensett always cherished ambitions to be the county seat and in an earlier chapter of this volume the reader may learn of the several efforts made by this centrally located town to obtain the honor. It is recorded that a certain Baltimore oyster packer gave his name to the new railroad station and promised that he would build a church for the town if his name was retained. His name-Kensett-has been kept, but the church has never been forthcoming. The first house on the town site of Kensett was built by James Thompson before the platting.

    To the Cleophas brothers-Knut, Edwin and C.-must be given the honor of being the first merchants in Kensett. They carried a stock of general merchandise fitted to meet the needs of the new settlement. C. Cleophas came to Kensett in the fall of 1867 and began the mercantile trade. The firm was established in the spring of 1875 as K. Cleophas & Bros., consisting of K., C. and E. Cleophas. The business was conducted under this name until 1881, when K. Cleophas was elected county treasurer and the firm dissolved. It was then reorganized under the firm name of Cleophas Brothers. K. Cleophas after moving to Northwood became one of the organizers of the Northwood Banking Company, now the First National Bank, later moving to Minneapolis, where he died.

    T. Oleson opened the first blacksmith shop in 1875. Smith Brothers & Company started a lumber yard in 1876. Charles Locke was another pioneer lumber man in Kensett. A shoe store was established in 1880 by George Gullickson. This store was suspended after a short existence. C. D. Mattock opened up a hardware and general stock in September, 1876.

    Despite the fact that Kensett has suffered several disastrous fires, the town has been rebuilt until it is one of the most attractive of the smaller communities of Worth County. Located on the Jefferson Highway the merchants and citizens have the opportunity of obtaining a large transient trade during the touring season.

    The first grain warehouse was built at the village by Martin V. Bentley in 1875. In 1876 S. S. Cargill erected another warehouse, which was destroyed by fire in 1883, with a $7,000 loss. With it burned a warehouse owned by Cleophas Brothers.

 

LINCOLN TOWNSHIP

    In the lower tier of Worth Count townships, comprising all of congressional township 98 north, range 20 west, lies the Township of Lincoln, bounded on the north by Kensett Township, on the east by Union Township, on the south by Cerro Gordo County and on the west by Danville Township.

    The township was set off from Kensett Township by order of the board of county supervisors in April, 1876, and an election for township officers designated for November 7th following. On the above date the township was formally organized and the following officers elected: Theron Gordon, W B. Hildreth and John Kinney, trustees; A. J. Perkins, assessor; W. H. Russell, justice of the peace; D. A. Mitchell, constable; Bjorn Asbjornson, road supervisor; John W. Russell, clerk.

    The first settler in Lincoln Township was Darius Gardner, who came here April 5, 1856, and located in the southeast corner of the township. He lived here until his death, March I, 1879. The next to make a settlement in the township was Joseph Pennell, who settled on section 36 in 1857. He left shortly afterward after losing his property by fire. The next settler was S. P. Cravath who, in 1858, located on section 5. Other early settlers were: Wesley E. Hill, James P. Nielson, William H. Overholt, William Wadsworth, Andrew Stensrud Hans Mastrud, E. D. Hunt, G. A. Overholt, C. F. Jewett, J. D. Benjegerdes John Folmuth.

    The remainder of the early history of Lincoln Township is identical with that of the town of Manly and under this head is given in the following paragraphs.

 

MANLY

    Located just south of the center point in Lincoln Township is the second largest town in Worth County. Manly, as evidenced by the census reports, has had a remarkable growth in the last decade. The position of the town at the junction point of two railroads-the Rock Island and the Chicago Great Western-has been of fortunate assistance in making the town a prosperous and busy center. Also, in l912, the Rock Island made Manly a division point and located here the shops and round houses, thus providing work for several hundred people who have to a great extent augmented the population of the community.

    Manly junction, as it was first called, was created by the railroads in the summer of 1877. Several persons, prominent among them N. E. Knudson, A. W. Harris, G. L. Bosworth, H. N. Keeler and George Hildreth, quickly recognized that here was the ideal site for a town location. Their coming and their settlement here occurred in this same year of 1877. The first building was the Manly House, the first regular hotel of the town, which was built in the summer above mentioned by George Hildreth. R..M. Todd and D. D. Knowles afterward operated this hostelry. The Mitchell House, built in 1883, was the second hotel.

    The first store in Manly was opened by A. H. Harris. He built a small frame building, where he kept his general stock of goods for about eight months. The first bona fide general merchandise store was established by H. N. Keeler, in a frame building, in the spring of 1878. In 1880 N. E. Knudson also opened a store for the sale of goods. He formerly conducted a restaurant, but decided that the merchandise business was more lucrative. During the year 1880 Wabassa & Lee, Mason City merchants, opened a branch hardware store in Manly, under the management of Mr. Cogswell, who was also the clerk in the branch dry goods store established at the same time by A. B. Tuttle of Mason City. In February, 1883, J. E. Knudson started a hardware store.. The first lumber sold in the village was by H. H. Harris in the fall of 1877. In the following year G. L. Bosworth opened another lumber yard and a little later J. P. Nelson followed.

    The first blacksmith shop was started in 1878 by A. Draper. In May, 1882, Herum Brothers opened a rival shop. William Linderman was the pioneer harness maker, beginning his business here in October, 1882. Manly at one time was wet," and the first saloon within the town limits was opened by N. E. Knudson. G. L. Bosworth, D. A. Mitchell, G. B. VanSwan and R. W. Bennett & Company were early grain dealers in Manly.

    The postoffice was established in 1877 and A. W. Harris was appointed the first postmaster. He was succeeded by H. N. Keeler.

    The town of Manly was incorporated as such by Judge Sherwin's order on October 18, 1898. A petition had previously been presented to judge Sherwin of the District Court, and an election held to decide whether or not the town should be incorporated. By a small majority the citizens voted in favor of the proposition. The first officers chosen were: Frank McSpaden, mayor; V. E. Peshak, recorder; W. V. Andrews, treasurer; A. D. Beaver, assessor; D. A. Mitchell, G. L. Bosworth, D. B. Logeman, George H. Feldman, W. H. Meldrim and G. H. Rossiter, councilmen.

 

GROVE (NORTHWOOD) TOWNSHIP

    The present Grove Township comprises all of congressional township 100 north, range 20 west, and is bounded on the north by the State of Minnesota, on the east by Deer Creek Township, on the south by Kensett Township, and on the west by Hartland Township.

    Grove Township was originally known as Northwood Township, but by action of the board of supervisors on January 7, 1902, in response to a petition of the majority of the voters of the township, the name was changed from Northwood to Grove Township.

    Northwood Township, then comprising the eastern half of Worth County, was organized by the same order which placed the county in existence, this order coming from Judge Hitchcock of Mitchell County. The first election took place at the house of B. H. Beckett, in the village of Northwood, on October 13, 1857. Seventy-four votes were cast. The first officers elected were: Charles Wardall and Warren Barbour, justices of the peace; S. D. Green and Parmeno Bliton, constables; no further record of this election is in existence, so the names of the trustees, clerk and other officers are, unfortunately, not obtainable. Charles Wardall, David H. Phelps and Horace Crandall acted as judges of the election.

    The early settlement of Grove Township is practically with that of Worth County, which has been narrated in Chapter IV. The first man to settle here was Gulbrand 0. Mellem, who came in the summer of 1853 and built a cabin on the northeast quarter of section 32, which now lies within the corporate limits of the City of Northwood.

 

SILVER LAKE TOWNSHIP

    Congressional township 100 north, range 22 west, known as Silver Lake Township, was organized on October 20, 1860, by order of the board of county supervisors. The township is bounded on the north by the State of Minnesota, on the east by Hartland Township, on the south by Brookfield Township and on the west by Winnebago County. The first election was held at the schoolhouse in district No. 2. James Randall was elected clerk and Lars L. Loberg justice.

    The first settler of the township was Lars Larsen Loberg, who entered the township on March 26, 1856, and took up a claim on section 14. It is said that. land was offered to Loberg nearer Northwood, but that he preferred the picturesque region of the lake. The next to arrive was G. K. Hundeby, with his brother, Theodore K., in the spring of 1856, shortly after Loberg. K. 0. Hundeby, father of the above two boys, came the same spring. T. K. Hundeby afterward held several public offices in Worth County and was considered one of the county's prominent citizens. He was a soldier in the Rebellion. G. K. Hundeby was a member of the Third Iowa Battery in the Civil war and after his return from the front in 1865 died of fever contracted in the southern swamps. T.K. Hundeby later moved to California. There has been some dispute as to Loberg's claim of being the first settler. This has been explained by a former writer as follows: "There has been some arguing about Lars L. Loberg not being the first settler of Silver Lake Township, as he stopped with Mrs. Loberg's sister, then Mrs. Amos Helgeson, whom you will find settled in Brookfield Township. So Mr. Loberg's right of being the first settler of Silver Lake Township is hereby made clear. Mr. Loberg took a claim on the south shore of Silver Lake, as he was raised up by the water, he loved to stay by the water and the timber. Mr. Loberg went away and came back with his family, consisting of his wife, Barbara Loberg, and daughter, Bertha, who married G. G. Dahl, and entered on their claim June 16, 1856. G. K. Hundeby took along his 'brother, T. K. Hundeby, then a mere lad, coming in company with Loberg from Winnesheik County, Iowa. Mr. Loberg's neighbors in those days were Amos Helgeson, G. 0. Mellem, Simon Rustad and Gunder Sanda, and not forgetting the Indians, who then camped in the grove on Loberg's farm. Many a time Mr. Loberg was down in the timber and was in Indian wigwams, and many a time he has shot at marks with the Indians. Mr. Lars Loberg and G. K. Hundeby shot six elks and seven reindeer the first winter and the Indian squaws tanned the hides for Loberg. Lars L. Loberg died January 10, 1901."

    T. O. Groe was also a settler of the year 1856, locating upon section 36. A Mr. Burl was another settler of this year. Nils C. Hengesteg settled in the township on section 24 in 1856. Sever Johnson Haugerud came here in 1857 and made a claim. Gunder Gulson was a pioneer of 1857, locating on section 13. Ole Mehus came to section 26 this same year, also Patrick Haley and Johannes Gullickson on section 13, and Erick Ellingson on section 25. Amos Wilcox was a settler of 1858 or 1859, locating on section 11.

    The year 1858 brought to Silver Lake Township a largely increased emigration, among the prominent settlers being: Simon Thostenson, Peder Nilson, Even Robinson, Jens Knutson, Daniel Pederson, Elling and Ole Ellingson; followed later by Jens Sorenson, Soren Sorenson, Jahas Sondrol, Helge Hefta, Kittle Klabo, Peter Loberg, John Johnson, J. A. Dahl, Gulbrand Dahl, G. G. Dahl, Osten Olson and Jens Larson Lokken, the latter first a settler in Minnesota.

    The first birth within the township was that of Caroline L., daughter of Lars L. Loberg and wife, Barbara 0. Mellem Loberg, on October 18, 1856. The first death was that of the infant son of T. 0. Groe. He died July 16, 1858, when just a few months of age.

    The first marriage occurred at an early date, not definitely fixed, and the contracting couple is given as Peder Nelson and Anna Robertson, the ceremony performed by Rev. C. L. Clausen.

    The postoffice of Silver Lake was established September 9, 1867, and John T. Nystuen appointed postmaster. Rev. N. E. Boe, Iver J. Dahl, T. E. Flaskerud were others who held the position of postmaster during the existence of the office. The introduction of the rural free mail delivery through the country districts caused the abolishment of this office about 1902, after it had been removed into Hartland Township.

 

UNION TOWNSHIP

    Union Township occupies the extreme southeastern corner of Worth County and comprises congressional township 98 north, range 19 west. It is bounded on the north by Barton Township, on the east by Mitchell County, on the south by Cerro Gordo County, and on the west by Lincoln Township. The township was organized by the election held October 13, 1863.

    At the beginning, Union Township was very slow in being settled, but with the coming of the railroad in 1870, the rate of settlement increased. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, which passes through the township from the northeast to the southwest, considerably aided the township in obtaining a start to success.

    The first to make a claim for settlement in the county was J. M. Molesberry, who came in 1854 and entered upon the southwest quarter of section 32. He made a final settlement in 1856, when he returned with his family from Buffalo, Mich. Darius Gardner, of Connecticut, purchased section 21 and here settled with his wife. Mrs. Gardner spoke of their experiences as follows: "There was a constant stream of travel from Bristol, in Worth County, to Osage, Mitchell County, all winter on the crust that had formed on the deep snow. This crust was some two inches thick. At that time, as there was only one other house on the road between these two points, a distance of forty miles, travelers made it a point to stop over night with us. Our cabin was often full to overflowing. We often hung lights on the roof and at the windows to guide the luckless traveler who was overtaken by night on these trackless and dreary prairies. As our nearest neighbors were four miles off, the travel made life endurable, which otherwise would have been a desolate and dreary existence."

    Peter Crume located on section 31 in 1867 and remained until 1873, when he went to South Dakota, then to Pennsylvania. Charles Rose, of Lisbon, Conn., located on section 21, but after five years residence removed to Dakota, where he died. John A. Heiny, a Bohemian, settled here in September, 1857. Elmer Sumner and D. W. Chamberlin, of Maine, located here about 1860, and remained for a few years. Joseph Hunches came here from Chicago in 1857. Nathan Wise, another Bohemian, settled on the northeast quarter of section 30 in 1861 and erected a log house. Franklin Parker settled in the township in 1864, locating on the northwest quarter of section 18. Henry Smith, from New York, came to Mitchell County in 1865, and to section 30, Union Township, the following year, where he purchased land. In 1865 Augustus Byington, of Ohio, came from Cook County, Illinois, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 26. James W. Smith came to the township in 1865 and bought a farm from William C. Moore on section 18. Mathias Michalek, a Bohemian, came to the township about the same time and located on section 3I. H. G. Smith, of New York, came here in 1866 and settled on section 30. Albert Cobeen arrived from Wisconsin in 1867 and chose a home on section 20. Sherman Cook, a native of Massachusetts, came in 1868 to the southeast quarter of section 22.

    The first child born in Union Township was Leni Leota, daughter of Darius and Lucretia Gardner, on July 28, 1857.

    The first death was that of the eighteen-months-old infant, Bion Molesberry, son of J. M. Molesberry.

    The marriage of William P. Molesberry and Annie Heiny in February, 1863, was the first in the township.

 

TOWN OF GRAFTON

    There is just one town in the Township of Union, that of Grafton. This town was platted in January, 1878, by Mr. White, surveyor for the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company. The plat was filed for record March 27, 1878. The original owners of the town site were J. G. Frink, Mosner and Allen. At the time of the survey there were only two houses on the town site, a small house belonging to Edward Mulverhill and a warehouse, the latter owned by the firm of Bassett & Hunting.

    August Ueker constructed the first building after this and opened it in February, 1878, as a saloon. G. R. Brooks built the first store building during the same spring and J. G. Frink the first dwelling house, into which he moved in March. Gilchrist & Company erected another grain warehouse during this same year. The town was given the name of Grafton by the railroad company, which made it a station on the line in the spring of 1878. The postoffice here was established in 1878 and James K. Sherman appointed postmaster. He kept the office at his home, where he received mails twice each day. Sherman was also the first hotel keeper in the town. The first, blacksmith was William Boland; he opened his shop for business in the spring of 1878, but remained just a short time and was succeeded by William Bierermann and Aug Zarling. As stated before, George R. Brooks erected the first store building in the town in the spring of 1878. This structure was 20 by 32 feet and two stories high. He rented the building to J. K. Dews & Company, who opened for sale a general stock of merchandise on April 2, 1878. In May, 1882, Mr. Brooks purchased the stock and entered the business himself. Charles Suessinger opened the first harness shop in 1882.

    From these small beginnings Grafton has grown to be one of the most attractive, of the smaller towns of Worth County. With a modern bank, good streets, cement walks and well-built residences, the town has entered upon a period of pride and growth.

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Transcription by Gordon Felland, November 2001