BIOGRAPHIES, QUERIES, OBITUARIES - O
SOURCE: Compendium of History and Biography of Polk
County, Minnesota, Major R.I.
Holcombe, Historical Editor; William H. Bingham, General Editor; W.H. Bingham
And Company, Minneapolis, Minn.; 1916; reprinted by Higginson Book Company;
Salem Massachusetts; (book no longer copyrighted)
Library of Congress control number 16009966
This book can be ordered from Borders Book Store or from Higginson.
Both companies have web sites. The cost is about $70
and well worth the price.
MARTIN O’BRIEN
pages 202-203
Martin O’Brien, of Crookston, a prominent attorney and eminent citizen of the
state, was born in Boone county, Illinois, October 15, 1867. He is the son of
Michael and Mary (Tighe) O’Brien, who were natives of Ireland. Michael O’Brien
was born in county Mayo and was married to Mary Tighe in her native county of
Sligo. They came to this country about 1850, locating in Boone county,
Illinois, where he followed his trade of stone mason. They continued to make
their home here until their death. Seven children survive them and three of the
sons reside in Crookston. Martin O’Brien was reared in his native state and
received his early education in the country schools. After graduating from the
high school in Belvidere, Illinois, he began the study of law in the office of
Judge R.W. Wright, a pioneer lawyer of Boone county. In June, 1889, he was
admitted to the bar and located immediately in Crookston and began the practice
of law. He has en!
gaged in the general practice of his profession and from the inception of his
career has met with noteworthy success, winning the regard and approbation of
his legal associates. For two years he was a member of the firm of Wilkinson,
Schmidt & O’Brien in partnership with A.C. Wilkinson and P.C. Schmidt. Since
leaving this firm he has conducted an independent practice. Mr. O’Brien is a
member of the Democratic party and is extensively identified with the political
affairs of the state. He has been actively interested in many of the important
conventions, serving as delegate at large in national convention of 1908 and
district delegate to the national convention of 1912 and was made the Minnesota
member of the committee on resolutions in both national conventions. He was
elected chairman of the state democratic committee in 1912 and served in this
office until his professional duties necessitated his resignation and forced him
to decline re-election. Wher!
eupon he was elected vice chairman and made a member of the executive
committee. He is at present city attorney of Crookston, having served in that
office five terms. His administration of public matters has been characterized
by the same display of integrity and ability that has marked his private legal
affairs. He has also served the county in the capacity of assistant to the
county attorney in important matters of litigation, in which the county was
interested. He has been E.R. [Exalted Ruler] of the Crookston Lodge B.P.O.E.
[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks] and a member of the Grand Lodge of
that order. He served for five years as member national board of Auditors, M.W.
of A. He was married in Minneapolis, in 1904, to Elizabeth Mealia, who is a
native of Minnesota. They have three children, Marion, John and James.
submitted Jan 17, 2003 Jon Raymond
JENS OHNSTAD, M.D.
pages 399-400
SOURCE: Compendium of History and Biography of Polk
County, Minnesota, Major R.I.
Holcombe, Historical Editor; William H. Bingham, General Editor; W.H. Bingham
And Company, Minneapolis, Minn.; 1916; reprinted by Higginson Book Company;
Salem Massachusetts; (book no longer copyrighted)
Library of Congress control number 16009966
This book can be ordered from Borders Book Store or from Higginson.
Both companies have web sites. The cost is about $70
and well worth the price.
Jens Ohnstad, M.D., of McIntosh, one of the leading physicians of the county,
was born in Dane county, Wisconsin, June 20, 1868. His parents were natives of
Norway and came to the United States in 1846 and were pioneer settlers of Dane
county, where his father is living at the close of a long and useful career,
having reached his eighty-eighth year and being one of the few survivors among
those who initiated the emigration of his compatriots to this county. Two
brothers and a sister are also living at advanced ages, all having passed their
eightieth years. Jens Ohnstad was reared on the Wisconsin homestead and was
educated in normal school at St. Ansgar, Iowa. He graduated in 1892 and in his
early manhood engaged in teaching school in Fillmore county, Minnesota, using
this work to secure the financial aid to attain to his professional ambitions.
In 1899 he entered State University for a four-year course of study in the
college of physicians and surgeons and received hi!
s degree from that institution in 1903 and in October of that year located in
McIntosh, where he has continued to pursue his practice with eminent success,
with the exception of two years, during which time he transferred his
professional activities to Minneapolis. Dr. Ohnstad has kept in touch with the
progress of medical science and has taken post-graduate courses in advanced
scientific studies, in Chicago. He has gained a wide reputation for his skill
and professional achievements and his able services have been distinguished by
notable victories over serious epidemics of malignant diseases. He has devoted
every effort and interest to the duties of his vocation and has increased his
opportunities for efficient service by the establishment of the Dr. Ohnstad
Hospital, which is amply equipped, with professional nurses in attendance, and
has proved of unmeasured benefit to the community in providing immediate relief
for local distress, obviating the disastrous delays enta!
iled in reaching city hospitals. Dr. Ohnstad is that type who, by their broad,
progressive and unselfish service, furnish the substantial support of the
welfare of any community and has made a most honorable record as a physician and
citizen. He is a member of the Red River Valley, the Minnesota State and the
American Medical associations, and in fraternal societies is affiliated with the
Knights of Pythias and the Modern Woodmen of America. He was married at Red
Wing in 1908 to Mabel Hooverson, of that place, who had resided for a time at
McIntosh. Two sons have been born to them, Peter Rolf and Karsten Jerdee.
submitted
Jan 17, 2003 Jon Raymond
Archie Olson Dies in Jap Prison Camp
(Red Lake Falls Gazette, March 21, 1946, p1)
Brother of C.F. Olson Falls Prisoner of Japs in Fall of Battan – died Feb. 12, 1945
Mr. and Mrs. C.F. Olson received word during the past week that his brother, Archie Olson, who was employed here prior to the war, and was well known by a large number of local people, had died in a Japanese prisoner camp on February 12, 1945.
The following account of his death appeared in last week’s issue of the Fosston Thirteen Towns
Archie Olson of the Fosston-Trail area was the first man from this area to be taken prisoner during the war. He became a prisoner of the Japs when Bataan fell. Little news was heard from him during the remainder of the war except that it was known he was being held in Japan towards the end of the war. Recently the family had word from the war department that he had died in a prison camp about a year ago. Last week the family received the following letter from the commanding officer:
Dear Mrs. Quam:
I was Archie’s C.O. in Japan. We were at the Fukuolsa No. 3 camp, which you can find on the map at a place called Moji, at the tip of the island called Kyushu. Archie was a grand big man, a man the men loved, he was quiet, easy going and happy. He did not suffer, he became ill, went into a coma and then passed away.
I do not recall that he ever was a victim of beatings, and as for food, he received enough of what we had to normally get along. I believe that he just happened to be a victim of war. It most likely was from malaria that he died.
His doctor was Captain Charles Armstrong of Fletcher General Hospital, Cambridge, Ohio. Dr. Armstrong was a very wonderful young officer, who worked hard for his men. He took care of Archie.
With every wish I remain.
Sincerely yours,
John L. Curran, O.P.
Submitted by Joy Paulson, October 2006
Bicentennial History of Polk County,
Minnesota: Pioneers of the Valley,
Polk County Historical Society, 1976, Copyright 1976, Taylor
Publishing Company, Dallas, Texas
ONSTAD, ENGEBRET C.
pages 161-162
Engebret C. Onstad was born in Gudbrandsdalen, Norway in 1865. He emigrated to
the United States at the age of 16 and came to the Crookston-Nielsville vicinity
in Polk county, where he worked at various jobs. Mr. Onstad married Olive
Myrland, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Even O. Myrland, Traill county pioneers of
Belmont, North Dakota, in 1892. She was born at Blooming Prairie, Minnesota in
1870. After their marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Onstad lived at Old Nielsville, located
about one and on-half miles northwest of the present site of Nielsville.
Three children were born to the Onstads: Elmer in 1895 and Myrtle in 1897, both
born at Old Nielsville; and Evelyn born at Esmond, North Dakota in 1903.
Mr. and Mrs. Onstad owned a hardware goods store in Old Nielsville, and the
goods were shipped by boat on the Red River to Fisher Landing or other nearby
landing points, and then hauled by wagon and horses to town.
When the Great Northern Railroad was built into Polk county, Old Nielsville was
moved to the present site, and the store and house were moved into town. The old
store was later sold and a new store was built in 1899. Besides the hardware
goods, there were furniture, stoves, farm machinery, and windmills sold. About
1910, a gasoline burner, used to heat a soldering iron, exploded and demolished
the store. It was rebuilt the same year. Mr. Onstad owned one of the first cars
in the community – a “case” car.
Later, the store was sold, and Onstad and son (Elmer) built a garage and went
into car repair, also selling cars and tractors. An electric power plant was
installed in part of the garage, and electricity was furnished to the Nielsville
homes and business places that were wired for electricity.
Visiting friends and family gatherings were usually on Sunday afternoons and
holidays. Church and school picnics were annual events in the summer. Sunday
afternoons, during the summer season, there were scenes of baseball games
between the neighboring towns teams, and these always drew large crowds.
All the Onstad children attended grade school at Nielsville. Elmer Onstad went
to Hanson Auto and Tractor School in Fargo, North Dakota, and was rural mail
carrier at Nielsville for many years, using cars on the route. On muddy, or snow
blocked roads he had to use horses and buggy, or sled with a bus built over it.
Teams had to be changed at midway of the mail route of about 28 miles.
Elmer married Lillian Lee, an elementary school teacher, of Nielsville. They had
a daughter, JoAnn, who attended Milwaukee High School. She married Clark Luckman
of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and they had one son, Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Elmer Onstad
moved from Nielsville to Chicago, and to Milwaukee, where he worked for and
retired from the Hadish Company.
Myrtle Onstad attended Crookston High School and Interstate Business College at
Fargo, North Dakota. She was bookkeeper at State Bank of Nielsville, and later
at Amenia Seed and Grain Company of Amenia, North Dakota. She married Parnell
Smeby, a barber from Amenia. They later farmed at Hickson, North Dakota. He
passed away in 1965. Mr. and Mrs. Smeby had two daughters, Phyllis and Marilyn.
Phyllis, a teacher, married Eltoh McLeod of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and their
children are Brian, Mitchell, Joel, Brenda and Rhonda. Marilyn, a legal
secretary, married Melvin Smith, of Wheatland, North Dakota, and their children
are Sheri and Sandra. Mrs. Smith passed away in 1971. Engebret Onstad
passed away in 1954 and Mrs. Onstad in 1919.
submitted July 28, 2003 Jon Raymond
OPHEIM/ORMBRECK/VESTERHEIM, Nels L.
"These Our Roots, The History of Fertile,
Minnesota;" The Ulen Union, David G. Evans (Publisher), 1987, page 196
"Nels L. Vesterheim was born in 1865
at the Opheim farm in Voss, Norway, the son of Lars Isakson Vesterheim and
Ingjerd Opheim. In 1884, he left Norway together with one brother, Isak, and
sisters, Gjertrud and Cecelia. They first lived at Ada, Minnesota and then
moved to Fertile. Gjertrude lived with Nels and later married Fred Peterson.
Cecelia moved to Crookston and married Mr. Knutson. The brother, Isak, moved
to Lengby. Mrs. Nels Vesterheim was Sigrid Moyard, born in 1864. They were
married on November 18, 1893, and opened a restaurant where the Town and County
building now stands. There were five children, a son who died when a child and
four daughters, Ida, Christine, Leona and Inger. As they grew up they all
worked with the parents in the business. Christine married Chris Ormbreck and
lives in Ulen, Minnesota. She has four sons, Harlan, who lives in Fargo;
Clayton, Neal and Paul who live with their mother. Ida lived in Fertile all of
her life and died on September 14, 1973. Lena lived in Grand Forks and married
Melvin Herndon. She died in 1959. They had one daughter, Lois, who lives in
Macungie, Pennsylvania. Inger worked for many years in Grand Forks, returned
to Fertile and lives at the Sunshine Courts. Mr. Vesterheim died in 1945 and
Mrs. Vesterheim lived to be almost 95 years and died in 1961. She was a very
active worker in Concordia Lutheran Church ladies aid. She had attended aid
meetings from the time she was twelve years old back in Norway. The first aid
meeting she served in Fertile was in the kitchen of the restaurant where she
set the table in the kitchen, served biscuits, sauce, cheese, jelly, cake and
cookies and, of course, coffee. Another interesting fact is that Mr.
Vesterheim built the house where Jessie Halvorson now lives. Later he sold
this to Albert Gullickson, who added to the size of the house, and the
Vesterheim family then bought the Kankel house where Inger lived until five
years ago. This house is now owned by G. Werner."
Jon Raymond
St. Paul Park, MN
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~raymond
submitted February 2006
See Bergdahl, Ole H.
OIEN/OYEN/ANDERSON, Melkor Gurenus
I am searching for information on where my Grandfather lived
while he was in the USA. Born 1872 in Ytre Rendal, Norway. Sailed from
Kristiania (Oslo) Dec 4, 1891 en route to New York, and arrived there on
December 21/1891.
Melkor's birth records list him as Melkor Gurenus ANDERSEN. His departure from
Norway lists him as Melkior Andersen ØIEN. Andreas went by the name Andrew, and
stayed in the US until 1909, when he walked to what is now Oyen, Alberta in
Canada from Spokane Washington. Andrew is listed on the 1900 census as Andrew
A. Oyen of Crookston, MN. A fellow named Gilbert Undseth often signed documents
for Andrew, and I think this may have been Bertin Olsen Undset who left Rendal,
Norway at the same time as Andrew did (1889). Another person who seems to be
connected is Ted Momb, and maybe he was Tomine Momb who also the Rendal Region
of Norway in 1889. The Momb and Undseth families may also have gone to Canada
to live later on.
Crossing into Canada seems to have changed the last name to OYEN from the OIEN
spelling used in the US. Melkor and Andrew also had an older brother Gustav,
born in 1867, who may also have traveled with them. Gustav is thought to have
lived and died in the Chicago area. They all departed Norway at different times,
as far as I know.
I am wondering if Melkor changed his name to Mike Anderson/Anderson and went to
North Dakota to homestead. There seems to have been a person in the Rugby or
Brazil or Devil's Lake Area of Pierce County, North Dakota who has very very
similar information, including a wife named Bertine/Berntine Anderson by 1908.
This Mike Andersen/son started out in Aiken County, MN. Persons named Halvor
N. Vold, Edwin Hoff, and H. O. Fossum often signed documents stating that they
were well acquainted with Mike Anderson.
Melkor returned to Norway somewhere around 1906? or 1907? and married Bertine/Berntine/Berthine
BOLSTAD, the sister of his brother Simon's wife Synøve. Bertine also had
another sister Alma and brothers Berent and Baard. Alma and Berent stayed in
Norway but Baard went to Canada to farm for a number of years, and later in his
older years, returned to Norway.
In 1910, Melkior went to Canada where he became Melcor (Mike) OYEN/OIEN. If
anyone knows their whereabouts of any of these three brother during the 1890's
until 1909 (the time period when they were in the USA), I would be very grateful
for the information. I can be reached at
sandyoc@runbox.com or at
oyen@shaw.ca Thanks, Sandy Oyen-Cumberford
Back to USGenWeb Polk Co. Main Page
For questions or comments about this
web page or site,
please contact Shirley Dorgan,
Polk County MN Coordinator
Updated May 11, 2007
© 2006 by Shirley Dorgan on behalf of USGenWeb
