"History of Freeborn County", 1882
Hayward Twp. Biographies
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ROBERT CAMPBELL, SR., one of the pioneers of this county, is a native of Vermont, born in Chester, Windsor county, on the 7th of September; 1795. His father was a revolutionary soldier, and drew a pension until the time of his death. In the spring of 1855, Mr. Campbell came to Wisconsin and resided on a farm in Janesville, Rock county, until coming to this township in 1858. He drove here with an ox team, and staked out a claim in section ten where he has lived ever since. He was appointed Postmaster in 1865, and has held other local offices. The maiden name of his wife was Belinda Woodward and of ten children born of the union, six are living. One son was killed in the army, and had he lived would now be sixty-one years old.
ROBERT CAMPBELL. JR., a son of the subject of our last sketch, was also born in Chester, Windsor county, Vermont, his birth dating the 14th of March, 1836, and at the age of nineteen years came with his parents to Wisconsin. He went from there to California in 1859, and was engaged in the mines and in the lumber business for eight years, then took a trip to Oregon and Washington territories and returned to San Francisco. In 1867 he came to Minnesota and located in section ten, Hayward. The following year he was married to Miss Isadore A. Luce, the ceremony taking place on the 23d of March. After living on his farm some years Mr. Campbell removed to Albert Lea. and started in the machinery business with Gilbrandson and Bro. and remained with them for five years, then returned to this place and in the autumn of 1877 bought Granger's Hall, converted it into a store building and commenced trade. In March. 1880, he sold to Hanson Bros, and moved to section four, where he now lives. His farm contains rive hundred and forty acres and he also owns a warehouse and hay press in the village. He was Postmaster from 1877 to 1880, and has been Town Clerk since 1878. He is the father of fire children.
NEHEMIAH W. CAMPBELL, deceased, was a native of Vermont, born on the 29th of April, 1823. He married the daughter of Amos Robbins; she was born on the 25th of November, 1825, in Ver¬mont, the marriage ceremony taking place on the 30th of September, 1849. In 1857 Mr. Campbell moved with his family to Wisconsin, and the following year he came to Hay ward, located a farm in section four, and brought his family the follow¬ing year. On the 7th of November, 1864, he enlisted in Company C, of the First Minnesota Heavy Artillery, under Capt. George S. Ruble, and served until the 18th of May, 1865, when he died in the hospital. His widow lives on the old homestead with Elbridge A., the oldest son, who was born on the 18th of February, 1851. He has been Justice of the Peace and school Clerk, each, several years. Mrs. Campbell has another son and two daughters.
JOSEPH FEARN, was born in England on the 20th of June, 1832. He came to America when eighteen years old and remained in Ohio one year, thence to Illinois, and in a year enlisted at Chicago in the regular army for a period of five years. Daring the time he was in several skirmishes with the Indians, then went to New Mexico and accompanied emigrants across the plains to California. During the Mountain Meadow massacre he was for nine days buried in the snow with nothing to eat but horse flesh. After receiving his discharge on the 15th of August, 1860, he traveled through Kansas to Ohio, and on the 20th of June, 1862, married Miss Sarah McClum, who was born on the 5th of June, 1825. In 1869 Mr. Fearn came to Minnesota, and for some time was engaged in keeping a boarding-house at Armstrong, then removed to Hayward and located a farm in section twenty, which is well improved with a fine orchard. He is the father of one child.
A. P. HANSON is a native of Norway, born on the 6th of May, 1849, and emigrated with his parents to America when twelve years old. They came directly to Minnesota and resided in Ban¬croft for one year, then came to Hayward and lived on a farm a number of years. In 1870 Mr. Hanson was married to Miss Oleana Hanson, and they have five children. In 1880 they moved to the village and his brother bought the Campbells' store where A. P. has since devoted his time, keeping a line of general merchandise on the corner of Main street, The Post-office is located at their store.
EDWARD W. KNATVOLD was born in Norway on the llth of April, 1851, and came with his parents to America when eleven years old. They came directly to this township and took a homestead in section eighteen where Edward assisted in the farm labor until twenty-three years old. He then bought a farm of his own, has twice added to it and now owns three hundred and forty acres containing good buildings. He was mar¬ried on the 16th of November, 1874, to Miss Nettie Barny and the union has been blessed with four children. Mr. Knatvold is a partner of Robert Campbell in a hay press and warehouse in the village of Hayward. His father came from Norway to this country and immediately enlisted in the army, served one year and settled on his present farm. He is now sixty-five years old.
SAMUEL T. KIRKPATRICK is a native of Pennsyl¬vania, born on the 1st of May, 1836. At the age of thirteen years he left home and worked on farms until sixteen years old when he served an apprenticeship of two years in a blacksmith shop. He then moved to Armstrong county, worked three years and in 1856, came to Utica, Crawford county, where he erected a shop and remained several years. On the 17th of December, 1857, he was joined in matrimony with Miss Nancy Davis. In 1864, Mr. Kirkpatrick sold his shop, bought a farm and carried it on in connection with another shop for six years. In March, 1870, he came to this place, purchased eighty acres in section thirty-three, and in June returned for his family, settling on the farm the same year. He now owns two hundred and forty acres all im¬proved, with a fine grove all around his house. Mr. and Mrs. Kirkpatrick have a family of five; Mary Ann, twenty-four years old; Martha J., twenty-two; Leonard C., nineteen; Robert T., fourteen; and Frank J., twelve.
MILTON M. LUCE, one of the early settlers of this place, was born in Vermont on the 21st of September, 1843. He resided with his parents on a farm in his native State until 1855, when they moved to Clayton county, Iowa. In the spring of 1857, his father came to Minnesota, left his family in Albert Lea and pre-empted land in Hayward where they have since lived. In 1861, Mil
ton enlisted in the Fourth Minnesota Volunteer Infantry, Company I; at the fall of Vicksburg he was transferred to the Invalid Corps, sent to Rock Island and remained during the winter of 1863 and '64. In October of the latter year, he went to Chicago where he received an honorable discharge and returned home, remaining until March 1st, 1865, when he went to Sc. Paul as a veteran in Company A, of the Ninth Regiment, Hancock's First Veteran corps; was mustered in on the 10th of March and witnessed the hanging of Lincoln's conspirators. He was sent to Indianapolis, Indiana, where he guarded Government stores till March, 1866, when he was mustered out. The same month he was united in marriage with Miss M. E. Stulty of the latter place. Mr. Luce returned with his wife to his home and remained until 1869, when he moved to Albert Lea where he was constable four years, and also worked at the carpenter trade; was elected City Marshal in 1874; in 1877, he returned to his father's farm where he still resides.
SAMUEL LANDIS was born on the 4th of May, 1837, in Ohio, and lived with his father until of age, when he came west. After a residence of two years in Iowa he returned to Ohio and in the fall of 1861 came to Blue Earth, Faribault county, Minnesota. He soon after enlisted in the First Minnesota Mounted Rangers, Company K, went to St. Peter, thence to Missouri River and fought the Indians, participating in eight battles. After receiving his discharge he went to Ohio and re-enlisted in Company H, of the One Hundred and Ninty-seventh Ohio Regiment; was sent south to Virginia and remained in service until the close of the war, receiving an honorable discharge on the 31st of July, 1865. On the 21st of December following he was married to Miss Eva Smith, by whom he has three children. For four years after his marriage lie lived in Michigan, then came to Freeborn county and bought a farm in section twenty-six, Hayward, moved his family here in October, 1869, and has since made it his home. He and his wife are members of the United Brethren Church.
PETER LUND, one of the pioneers of this place, was born in Norway on the 13th of June, 1820. He was married in his native place on the 16th of June. 1846, to Miss Elsie Gravli, and they have two children. In 1850, he came to America, located first on Rock Prairie, Wisconsin, and a year
later moved to Iowa county in the same State, where he worked in lea I mines three years: then moved to Iowa, and a year afterward to Minnesota. He came to this township and selected claims in sections eighteen and eight, returned to Iowa for his family, whom he brought here with an ox team, arriving on the 1st of July, 1856. Mr. Lund now owns three hundred and twenty acres, a large portion of which is cultivated. He was the first Town Treasurer, and held the same several years.
JOHN PARK is a native of Huron county, Ohio, born on the 23rd of May, 1833. His mother died when he was nineteen years old, after which he came to Winnebago county, Wisconsin, and after a residence of eight years moved to Waushara county, where he took a claim and remained two years. He was married to Miss Elizabeth Rice, from New York, and they have a family of nine children. In 1861, Mr. Park came to Minnesota, lived on a farm near Albert Lea one year, then moved to Hartland, and the same year came to Hayward, first bought railroad land, and in the spring of 1866, purchased his brother's farm in section twenty-nine, which is well improved and contains a good frame house
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EDMUND TOWN is a native of Vermont, born on the 26th of August, 1822. When twenty-one years old he removed to New York where, on the 12th of December, 1843, he married Miss Betsy E. J. Lyon, formerly from Vermont. In 1854, they came to Minnesota, arriving in Shell Rock on the 2d of May. Mr. Town purchased a hotel, of which he was landlord until 1876, then traded it for a farm in this township, and moved here on the 14th of November of that year. While at Shell Rock he served as Justice of the Peace two years. Mr. and Mrs. Town have a family of five: their oldest son served in the late war, enlisting in Company C, of the One Hundred and Eighteenth New York Regiment in 1863.
THOMAS WILEY was born in Boston Massachu¬setts, on the 21st of November, 1820. At the age of thirteen years he was apprenticed to a manufacturer of printing presses, where he remained several years, subsequently learning the trade of piano forte maker in his native city. In 1840, he engaged with a firm of book publishers and dealers, remaining some six years. He was married in 1840 to Miss Emily A. Johnson, of Worcester, Massachusetts. A few years later they removed to Detroit, Michigan, where he was employed in the Superintendent's office of the M. G. Railroad, subsequently moved to Chicago, Illinois, afterward to Central Illinois, and in 1856, was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court and Recorder of Deeds in McHenry county, which office he held four years. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Twelfth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, but was rejected on account of physical disability. He was engaged in the dry goods business in Chicago for several years. In 1857, his wife died, leaving four children. He was afterward married to Miss Harriet E. Soule in Cambridge, Illinois. Three children survive their mother, who died in Albert Lea in June, 1882. Mr. Wiley moved to this place in
1873, and purchased a farm in section thirty-three. He has been forward in promoting agricultural enterprises, successfully managing the county fairs and introducing improved machinery. In
1874 he was elected Justice of the Peace, and. has since filled the office.
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