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JOHN A. NAVARA (1887), rural
mail carrier from the Lakefield office, was born
in Chicago May 18, 1878, the son of Vit and Mary
(Kosticka) Navara. His parents were born in
Bohemia, came to America after their marriage and
settled in Chicago. They came to Jackson county in
1887 and lived on the farm in Hunter township
until 1907, when they moved to Lakefield, and now
make their home with their son.
John came to Jackson
county with his parents in 1887 and until he was a
young man made his home on his father’s farm, the
east half of the southeast quarter of section 16,
Hunter township. He attended the district schools
of Hunter township and the high schools of Jackson
and Lakefield, and when nineteen years of age took
a course in the Metropolitan business college of
Chicago. For u time after his school days he
worked in Lakefield at various occupations, and in
1901 took the position of mail carrier, which has
since been his
occupation.
Mr. Navara was married at
Chicago August 16, 1904, to Tesse Felix, who was
born in Chicago October 13, 1884. She is the
daughter of John and Tesse Felix. Her father died
nine years ago; her mother lives in Chicago. To
Mr. and Mrs. Navara have been born three children,
as follows: Elsie, born June 3, 1905; Theodore J.,
born May 9, 1906, died January 1, 1909; Lawrence,
born September 9, 1908. The family
are members of the Lakefield Catholic church, he
is a member of the Western Catholic Union of
Jackson and of the Modern Woodmen lodge. He holds
membership in the Rural Letter Carriers
association and is treasurer of the Jackson county
branch.
MATHIAS NEILSEN (1884),
Middletown township farmer, was born in the city
of Brooklyn, New York, October 15, 1877. the son
of Soren and Mette M. (Thusen) Nielsen. His
parents came from Denmark in the early
seventies.
Mathias is one of a family of six children
born to this union, of whom only two besides
himself—Carrie (Mrs. H. Sauridsen) and Mettie
(Mrs. H. Oisen)—are living. Their
father died July 27, 1909; the mother makes her
home with her son, Mathias
Nielsen.
The first four years of
the life of our subject were passed in his native
city and the next three in Omaha, Nebraska. He
accompanied his parents to Jackson county in 1884
and until he was twenty-two years of age resided
with his parents on the farm in Petersburg
township. He then engaged in farming for himself
in Petersburg six years and the next three years
farmed a place in Des Moines township. In 1908 he
rented the J. A. Sayles farm, the southeast
quarter of section 8, Middletown, and has since
resided there.
Mr. Nielsen was married in
Petersburg township December 29, 1897 to Mary E.
Baumgard, a native of Denmark and a daughter of
Hans and Sina P. Baumgard. Her mother died
December 17, 1901, her father lives in South
Dakota. Three children have been born to Mr. and
Mrs. Nielsen; Leonard H., born April 10, 1902;
Murrel S., born February 15, 1907, and a baby
girl, born June 22,
1909.
KARL NEJEDLY (1886) is a
shoemaker and the proprietor of one of Jackson’s
shoe stores. He is the son of Josoph Nejedly, one
of a family of five children, and was born in
Vranej, Bohemia, September 14, 1855. His early
days were spent in his native land, where he
attended the village school and where at the age
of eleven years he began working at the
shoemaker’s trade.
At the age of twenty
Mr. Nejedly joined the Austrian army and served a
four years’ enlistment during the war between
Austria and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as a result of
which war the two last named countries were added
to the Austrian empire. During the last two years
of his service Mr. Nejedly saw service in the
enemies’ country. After the war Mr. Nejedly
went to Germany, where he worked at his trade
until he emigrated to America in 1882. He first
located at Cleveland, Ohio, where he worked at his
trade for a time. During his residence there he
was frequently called upon to make shoes for the
family of President Garfield. After leaving
Cleveland, Mr. Nejedly worked at his trade in the
following towns: Menominee, Michigan; St. Paul,
Minnesota; Mendota, Minnesota; and Owatonna,
Minnesota.
In 1886 Mr. Nejedly
came to Jackson county and opened a shoe repair
shop in the county seat village, and four years
later opened a shoe store in connection. These he
conducted continuously until 1906 when he sold out
and moved to California. He remained in the far
west only a short time, and then returned to
Jackson and again engaged in business. Besides his
business, Mr. Nejedly owns a home in the village.
He is a member of the C. S. P. S., the M. W. A.
and the Equitable Fraternal
Union.
In Cleveland, Ohio, July 24,
1882, Mr. Nejedly was united in marriage to
Josephine Simon, who was born in Zop, Bohemia,
March 19, 1857, and who came to America a few
months before her marriage. To this union have
been born six children, as follows; Otto, born
September 14, 1883; Olga, born October 25, 1884;
Boodie, born April 8, 1888; Rose, born November
25, 1800; Lumer, born August 8, 1892; Mildred,
born May 4, 1903.
GEORGE E. NELSON (1876)
is a member of the firm of Nelson Bros., clothing
merchants and tailors of Heron Lake. He was born
in Norway August 3, 1876, the son of Herman and
Bertha (Olson) Nelson. Herman Nelson was a
carpenter and cabinet maker and followed those
occupations all his life. He emigrated to America
and to Jackson county in 1876 and died in Heron
Lake in 1882, at the age of 34 years. The mother
of our subject lives in Heron Lake and is 61 years
of age.
They were the
parents of four children, of whom Mrs. Gilbert
Johnson died September 18, 1906, aged 34 years,
and George, Hugbert and Julia are living.
George came to Jackson
county when an infant and this has been his home
ever since with the exception of a year and a
half, in 1901 and 1902, when he was engaged in
farming in Becker county, Minnesota. He was
educated in the schools of Heron Lake. After his
school days he worked on the farm until after his
marriage in 1897. Then he engaged in farming on
his own account on rented land. He bought the
southwest quarter of section 24, Weimer township,
in January. 1902, and has since added to his
holdings by the purchase of the northeast quarter
of the southeast quarter of the same section. He
engaged in farming until 1908. In February, 1909,
he formed a partnership with his brother, Hugbert
Nelson, and embarked in the clothing and tailoring
business in Heron Lake.
Mr. Nelson was married in
Jackson April 29, 1897, to Minnie Selnes and the
daughter of Ole Selnes, a pioneer settler of
Weimer township. Mr. Seines secured title to the
southwest quarter of section 21, Weimer, under the
first tree claim law. He now resides in his native
country (Norway), where he went a year ago and
where he expects to make his future home. To Mr.
and Mrs. Nelson has been born one child, Gordon
born in 1907. Mr. and Mrs. Nelson are members of
the Lutheran church, he served as road overseer of
Weimer township one
year.
HUGBERT J. NELSON
(1879) is a tailor by trade and a member of the
firm of Nelson Bros., clothiers and tailors of
Heron Lake. He has lived in Jackson county all his
life, having been born in Weimer township August
14, 1879, the son of Herman and Bertha (Olson)
Nelson. His parents were natives of Norway and
came to America and to Jackson county in 1876. His
father died in Heron Lake in 1882: his mother
still makes her home in that village and is 61
years of age. Hugbert
grew to manhood in Jackson
county.
In 1898 he started
learning the tailor’s trade. After he
had served an apprenticeship he opened a shop in
Heron Lake, which he conducted six years. He then
opened a clothing store in connection with the
shop, and one year later, in February, 1909, he
admitted his brother, George, as a partner, and
they have since been engaged in business under the
firm name of Nelson
Bros.
Mr. Nelson was married in
Heron Lake February 21. 1907. to Emma Berreau a
native of Minnesota. She conducts a millinery
store in Heron Lake. Mr. Nelson is a member of the
Yeomen lodge.
J. P. NELSON (1907),
the manager of the Farmers Mercantile company’s
store at Jackson, was born in Argyle, Wisconsin,
March 25, 1803, the son of Lars and Karen
(Gaukrud) Nelson. He secured a common school
education in Argyle and was a student at
Valparaiso (Indiana) college one year. After his
school days he accepted a position as clerk in a
store in Argyle and in 1889, in partnership with a
brother, engaged in the general merchandise
business. Two years later he sold out, and in 1892
moved to Superior, Iowa, where he was engaged in
the general merchandise business fifteen years. In
the spring of 1907 Mr. Nelson moved to Jackson,
and has since been the manager of the Farmers
Mercantile company’s store. Mr. Nelson
owns 445 acres of land in Petersburg township, and
a comfortable home in Jackson. He is a member of
the Norwegian Lutheran church and of the I. 0. 0.
F., M. W.
A. and R. N. A.
lodges.
At Superior, Iowa, on March
15, 1889, Mr. Nelson was
united in marriage to Miss Anna C. Anderson. To
them have been born six children, as follows: Ora
C, born January 20, 1890; Leland G., born November
29, 1891; Homer A., born September 10, 1893; Velma
R., born February 8, 1896; Gladys J., born
February 22, 1898; J. Philo, born March 19,
1900.
OLE NELSON (1872) is
one of the early day settlers of LaCrosse
township, his farm being only a short distance
west of the village of Heron Lake. He owns the
southeast quarter of section 24 LaCrosse and a
quarter section of land in Lamoure county, North
Dakota.
He is one of a family of five
children.
His brother John died in 1882 and his
eldest sister Julia died in 1899. Two sisters,
Lena and Mary, are
living.
Mr. Nelson was born in
Norway July 31, 1856 the son of Nels Johnson and
Christina (Olson) Johnson. Both his parents died
in Jackson county, his father in the spring of
1881 and his mother in the spring of 1908. Ole was
eleven years of age when he accompanied his
parents to the new world and located in
Dodgeville, Wisconsin. In the old country the
father of our subject had been a small
storekeeper, stock buyer and an employee in a
factory, and when he located in the Wisconsin town
he and his son worked out for farmers in the
vicinity. The family came to Jackson county in
June, 1872, and bought the farm now conducted by
our subject, the farm being known as the Ole
Rognaes place, it having been owned by one of the
first men to meet his death in the terrible winter
storms of Jackson
county.
During the grasshopper
times the family encountered hard times, and only
for the fact that our subject and his brother were
able to obtain work on the section would have
suffered greatly. Ole lived on his father’s farm
and worked on the section until 1886; then he
married and moved to Heron Lake, having been
promoted to section foreman. In all Mr. Nelson
worked on the railroad fifteen years, but in 1890
he gave up railroad work and has since been
engaged in farming and raising
stock.
Our subject served six
years as a supervisor of LaCrosse township, was
road overseer two years and for many years was a
director of school district No. 45. He is a member
of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Heron Lake and
is one of the church trustees.
Mr. Nelson is a man of
family, having been married at Okabena May 26,
1886, to Annie Christy, a native of Goodhue
county, Minnesota. Her parents were John and Jane
(Halderson) Christy, early settlers of the county.
Both parents died in the spring of 1908. Mr. and
Mrs. Nelson are the parents of the following named
children : Clara Johanna, born May 16, 1887; John
Nellard, born April 22, 1890; Orville Goodwin,
born August 20, 1893; Olga Addie, born May 30,
1896; Leland Arthur, born December 6, 1899; Ella
Josephine, born December 20,
1905.
PETER NELSON (1884).
superintendent of the electric light and water
works plant of Lakefield was born in Sweden
February 10, 1860 the son of Nels Hansen and Mary
(Nelson) Hansen. The father died when Peter was
two years old and his mother when he was fourteen
years of age. He attended school a few terms
before he was twelve years of age but his
advantages for obtaining an education were meager,
and at an early age he began to work and earn his
own living.
Mr. Nelson was employed
on a farm in Sweden until 1881, when he came to
the United States. The first three months of his
residence in the new world he worked on a farm in
Kane county, Illinois, and then for six years was
employed on the celebrated M. W. Dunham
horse farm. Coming to Jackson county Mr. Nelson
bought a farm in Hunter township, upon which he
lived until 1895. Owing to bad crops, a fire that
destroyed his house and barn, and two hail storms,
he was forced to sell, but rented the place one
year after the title had been transferred. The
first seven years after moving to Lakefield he was
engaged in different kinds of work, and then took
a position in the electric light and water works
plant, becoming superintendent of the plant on
February 1, 1907. Some years after moving to the
village where he now lives Mr. Nelson’s house was
completely destroyed in a cyclone and his wife and
two children were quite badly
hurt.
Mr. Nelson was married in
Jackson county February 28, 1888, to Susie Goplen,
a native of Iowa and a daughter of Nels Goplen,
one of the early settlers. To Mr. and Mrs. Nelson
have been born four children, as follows: Arlie
H., Alma M., Mabel S. and Earl R. The family
are members of the Methodist
church.
ADOLPH J. NESTRUD
(1881), cashier of the First National Bank of
Lakefield, is a native of Jackson county, having
been born on his father’s farm in Heron Lake
township October 14, 1881. He is one of a family
of fourteen living children and is a son of John
and Marie (Pederson) Nestrud, of Heron Lake
township.
Both his parents were
born in Norway, but came to the United States in
their childhood days and were married in Jackson
county, to which place they came in the early
seventies.
The father of our subject took a homestead
claim in Heron Lake township and has ever since
made his home
there.
Adolph grew to manhood
on his father’s farm, assisting with the farm work
and attending the country school until twenty
years of age. He then took a business course in
Jewell Lutheran college, of Jewell, Iowa.
Returning to his old home, Mr. Nestrud resided on
the farm a short time and then he and his sister
conducted a restaurant in Lakefield for a little
over a year. Disposing of his business, he
returned to the farm, and a year later moved to
Jackson to accept a position as deputy register of
deeds under the administration of 0. J. Wagnild.
He held the position a little over two years and
then returned to Lakefield, where he took a
position as bookkeeper in the First National Bank.
Ten months later he was elected cashier, a
position he still
holds.
Mr. Nestrud was married at
Dell Rapids, South Dakota, June 7, 1905, to Carrie
Mahre, who was born in Minnehaha county, South
Dakota, and who was a school teacher. One child
has been born to this union, Inez Adelade. Mr. and
Mrs. Nestrud are members of the Norwegian Lutheran
church.
JOHN NESTRUD (1870) is
one of the most prosperous farmers and an early
settler of Heron Lake township, having resided
upon his present farm nearly forty years. He owns
and farms 320 acres on sections 20 and 21. When he
located there in 1870 there was not a building or
stick of timber on the place; now he has a fine
home, surrounded by a beautiful grove, which was
planted in 1877. Mr. Nestrud is a
Norwegian by birth, having been born July 16,
1845, the son of Hans C, and Johanna A. (Whem)
Nestrud. John is the youngest of a family of six
children born to these parents. His parents came
to America in 1869 and made their home with their
son until their death, the father dying in 1898,
at the age of 89 years, his mother in 1891, at the
age of 88 years.
Our subject resided in
Norway until he was twenty-three years of age.
During this time he attended school and worked on
his father’s farm and at outside work. He came to
America in 1868 and for two years resided in
Houston county, Minnesota. He arrived in Jackson
county in June, 1870, took as a preemption claim
the northeast quarter of section 20, Heron Lake
township, and that has ever since been his home.
Later he bought the north west quarter of section
21, and he farms the whole half
section.
During his long
residence in the county Mr. Nestrud
has taken an active part in its business, social
and political life. He has been justice of the
peace of his precinct during nearly all of the
time he has resided in the county, was township
treasurer eleven years, assessor nine years,
township clerk since 1890 with the exception of
two and one-half years, and road overseer for many
years. He held the office of clerk of school
district No. 56 before the reorganization of the
districts because of the increase of territory of
the Lakefield district, and he has been treasurer
of district No. 66 for ten or twelve years. Mr.
Nestrud owns stock in and is one of the directors
of the First National Bank of Lakefield and owns
stock in the Farmers Elevator company and the
Jackson County Cooperative Store
company.
He was one of the
organizers of the East Heron Lake Creamery
company, furnished the plans and specifications
for the building and was secretary of the company
the first four years of its existence. He is one
of the stockholders of the Delafield Farmers
Insurance company and has held an office in the
company since it was organized in 1889.
Mr. Nestrud was married in
Jackson county June 14, 1873, to Miss Inge Maria
Peterson, who was born in Norway December 25,
1857.
Her parents are Hans and Pernile (Arneson)
Peterson, who reside in Heron Lake township upon
land they homesteaded in 1870. Sixteen children
have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Nestrud, as
follows: Hans P., born December 23, 1873, died
September 13, 1874; Josephina, born November 22,
1874; Petria, born December 24, 1875; Hannah C,
born April 20, 1877; Helen M., born May 20, 1878:
Adolph born October 14, 1881: Olof born February,
1883: Julia, born January 3, 1880; Laura, born
November 10, 1886; Clara, born September 25, 1888;
Emma, born January 10, 1891; Alta, born July 11,
1893; Inga born January 10, 1896; Jalmar, born
September 29, 1898 died October 5, 1898; Lloyd W.
born June 8, 1901. The family are members of the
Norwegian Lutheran church of
Lakefield.
CARL NIEMANN (1887) is
one of the successful farmers of Christiania
township, in which he owns a half section of land.
He is a German by birth and was born September 7,
1846, the son of Martin and Fredericka (Gohl)
Niemann. The former died about fifteen years ago;
the mother died in 1908. Carl was
raised on his father’s farm and received a common
school education. He served four years in the
German army and is a veteran of the French-German
war. While serving his country he received a wound
in the hand from a sword thrust. At the age of
twenty-six years Mr. Niemann came to America and
located in Chicago, where he lived three years.
From the city he moved to Door county, Wisconsin,
where he engaged in farming twelve years. He came
to Jackson county in 1887 and located upon the
farm where he now lives, on section 16, and has
ever since been a resident of
Christiania.
Mr. Niemann owns a
120-acre farm of fine land and has it well
improved. He owns stock in the Bergen creamery, in
the Windom telephone and in the Farmers’ elevator
at Windom.
He has served as township treasurer
thirteen years and has been treasurer of school
district No. 53 for the last twenty years. He is a
member of the Lutheran church.
Mr. Niemann was married April
3, 1877, to Miss Johanna Langhoff, and to them
have been born seven children, as follows: Martha
(Mrs. John Egge), born February 11, 1878; Albert,
born October 27, 1880; Arnold, born June, 1882;
August, born June, 1884; Adolph, born 1886: Carl,
born March 10, 1888; Emma, born January 1,
1891.
OLE M. NORDBERG (1891)
farms a half section of land in Belmont township
and lives on section 24. He was born in Norway
November 20, 1865 the eldest of a family of three
children born to Sefanias and Bertha (Otteson)
Nordberg. The other children of the family are
Anna Nelson, who lives in Norway, and Nels T.
Nordberg, of Minneapolis. Our
subject was thrown on his own resources when eight
or nine years of age. At the age of eighteen he
began working at the blacksmith trade and followed
that trade during the remainder of his residence
in the old country.
In 1891, at the age of
twenty-six, he came to America and to the village
of Jackson.
There he established a blacksmith shop,
which he conducted thirteen years. During the next
four years he conducted a shop in Christiania
township, and then, in 1908, because of failing
health, he sold out and engaged in farming,
renting a half section in Belmont for a period of
five years.
Mr. Nordberg was married in
Norway January 31, 1890, to Mary Nelson, daughter
of the late Nels Bordson. To them have been born
two children, John C. and Bennie M. The family are
members of the Norwegian Lutheran
church.
JOSEPH H. NOURSE (1871)
owns a tract of land in the wooded district along
the Des Moines river, a short distance up the
river from Jackson, where he engages in farming on
a small scale, in gardening and wood cutting. He is one of
the early residents of the county, having come
first when he was a boy ten years of age. He is a
native Minnesotan, having been born in Goodhue
county January 8, 1861.
Our subject descends
from New England stock, his father, William H.
Nourse, having been born in Massachusetts and his
mother in New York state, her maiden name having
been Rosemond C. Stuart. These parents came to
Minnesota in 1856 or 1857 and took a preemption
claim in Goodhue county. Mr. Nourse, senior, was a
veteran of the civil war, having enlisted from Red
Wing in company F of the Second Minnesota cavalry.
The family came to Jackson county in 1871 and Mr.
Nourse took a soldier’s homestead claim on section
10, Kimball township, where they resided until the
ravages of the grasshoppers caused them to leave.
Mr. Nourse took his family to Rice county and he
later went to Kansas. He died in the soldier’s
home at Morrow, Indiana, in 1906. There were eight
children in the family, of whom the following
seven are living: Anna (Mrs. M. B. Dunn), of
Jackson; Joseph, of Des Moines township; Lelia
(Mrs. S. J.
Dunn), of Grant county, Minnesota; Gilbert
F., of Jackson; Walter, of Rice county; Zella
(Mrs. Charles Swan), of Wood Lake, Minnesota; Mark
R., of the Minnesota soldiers’ home at Minnehaha,
he having been disabled at Porto Rico during the
Spanish war.
Joseph lived with his
parents in Goodhue county, Minnesota, until June,
1871. Then he accompanied his parents to Jackson
county and until the grasshoppers came a few years
later he resided on the Kimball township
homestead. He accompanied his parents to Rice
county and resided there until 1884. That year he
again took up his residence in Jackson county,
where he has ever since resided. He engaged
in farming and dealt in hay for four years; then
he married and farmed a rented place two years.
The next three years of his life were spent in the
village of Jackson, after which he bought a timber
lot on section 10, Des Moines township, and since
that time he has resided in the country a short
distance from Jackson. Several years after
locating on his present place he added to his
holdings by the purchase of other tracts in the
vicinity.
During his residence in
the county Mr. Nourse has
often been called to serve in an official
capacity. He was deputy sheriff under Sheriff M.
B. Dunn, has been township clerk for the past five
years, was treasurer of school district No. 10 for
three years and has held the offices of road
overseer and township assessor. He was census
enumerator of Des Moines township in 1905. He is a
director and secretary of rural telephone line No.
7. Mr.
Nourse is a member of the Methodist
church.
He belongs to the A. 0. U. W. lodge and he
and his wife are members of the Degree of Honor
lodge.
In Lake Fremont township,
Martin county, Minnesota, on November 29, 1888,
Mr. Nourse was united in marriage to Flora P.
Celley, who was born at Wilton, Maine, December
23, 1864.
She is the daughter of John C. and Sarah
B.
(Hall) Celley, both deceased. Five children
have been born to Mr., and Mrs. Nourse, as
follows: J. Walter, born August 30, 1889; Winifred
B., born November 21, 1892; Wilma J., born October
3, 1895; Warren K., born March 8, 1898; Isabelle
W., born March 14,
1900.
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