Brown County MN Archives Biographies.....Bakke, Jacob 1848 - 
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Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 27, 2014, 5:48 pm

Source: See Below
Author: L. A. Fritsche

                    JACOB BAKKE.

    An enterprising farmer and stock raiser of Brown county is Jacob Bakke of
Lake Hanska township. He was born on November 14, 1848, in Gulbranddalen,
Norway, and is a son of Thorsten Olsen and Sigrid Synsteby. The father was a
farmer in Norway, owning his land. He came to the United States in his later
life and here lived until his death. His family consisted of twelve children, of
whom Jacob Bakke was the youngest and is the only survivor. Only three of the
children besides himself came to America, namely: Ingebregt, who was a teacher;
Ragnhild and Vldri wife of Thore Lokken.

    Jacob Bakke attended school until he was confirmed, in Norway, and when
twenty-one years old came to the United States, direct to Minnesota, where he
worked on the construction of both the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Orient
Railroad and the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, for awhile, then came to Brown
county, where he bought forty acres of school land, for which he paid eight
dollars per acre. Later he added to this until he now has an excellent farm of
one hundred and sixty acres, all in section 34, of Lake Hanska township. His
first forty was the hardest to pay for; the grasshoppers destroyed his crops for
three successive years. His first home was a small farm house, rudely furnished.
In a terrific storm in the winter of 1872-3 his house caught fire, and for three
days he could not build a fire in his store. His sister and her family had just
come from the old country and were in the cabin with him at the time. They were
far from help and if the house had been destroyed they would all have frozen to
death. This was the worst of the many hardships Mr. Bakke has endured. But he
persevered and prospered and now has a large modern, nicely furnished home and a
well improved and productive farm.

     In 1877 Jacob Bakke was married, on his present farm, to Carrie Helling,
who was born in Hallingdal, Norway, and is a daughter of Thorkil and Anna
Helling, who came to America when Carrie was six years old, the father taking up
a homestead in Lake Hanska township, Brown county, Minnesota, being one of the
early pioneers here. Eight children have been born to Jacob and Carrie Bakke,
namely: Sophia, Emma, Sidney, Clara, Anna are all deceased; Tobina, Zulia and
Alfred are all three living at home. The wife and mother died about 1899.

     Mr. Bakke and family are members of the Lake Hanska Norwegian Lutheran
church, he having been active in the affairs of the church for many years, being
secretary of the same for some time, also chorister for several years, and still
takes an active part in the music. Politically he is a Republican. He held the
office of assessor for several years and was chairman of the board of township
supervisors. He has held other minor offices. He is a stockholder in the State
Bank of Hanska, also in the Hanska-Linden Creamery Company and the Hanska-Linden
Store Company. He assisted in organizing the latter. He has been very successful
in a business way and is deserving of a great deal of credit for what he has
accomplished. His children are his chief concern and he is giving them every
advantage. He is a good citizen in every respect and is held in high esteem by
all who know him.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:
HISTORY OF BROWN COUNTY MINNESOTA
ITS PEOPLE, INDUSTRIES AND INSTITUTIONS

L. A. FRITSCHE. M. D.
Editor

With Biographical Sketches of Representative Citizens and Genealogical Records
of Many of the Old Families

VOLUME II
B. F. BOWEN & COMPANY, Inc. Indianapolis, Indiana


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