Brown County MN Archives Biographies.....Ouren, Nels J. 1869 - ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 November 26, 2014, 11:18 pm Source: See Below Author: L. A. Fritsche NELS J. OUREN. An enterprising merchant of Hanska, Brown county, is Nels J. Ouren, who enjoys a good trade with the town and surrounding country, owing to his fair and courteous dealings with all his customers. He was born May 14, 1869, in Linden township, this county, and is a son of John J. and Johanah (Nelson) Ouren, both natives of Toten, Norway, from which country they came to the United States about the year 1862, locating at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where they remained a short time, then came to Corn Prairie and later to Fillmore county, Minnesota, and in 1868 came on to Brown county, Minnesota, where the father bought a farm of about one hundred and sixty acres in Linden township, just east of the present town of Hanska. He later sold this farm and moved to Madelia, where he lived for ten years, engaged in blacksmithing, then returned to Brown county, buying a farm in Linden township again, and lived there until his death. Neither of the farms were improved when he got them, so he developed and improved two good farms in Linden township. His family consisted of seven children, of whom the subject of this sketch was third in order of birth, and the eldest boy living. Nels J. Ouren received a good education in the common schools and when a boy assisted his father with the general work about the place. Later, he attended the Madelia high school, but did not complete his education there, going to Onoka Business College. After completing the course there he worked for A. Hellesheim, of Madelia. In 1899 he came to Hanska and took charge of the Hanska-Linden Company, which store was opened for business in 1893, and he has continued manager of the same to the present time, giving eminent satisfaction to all concerned. He has increased the business from thirty-three thousand dollars to sixty thousand dollars annually in that time. He has also added to the original building and introduced many new and modem improvements and changes. A large and well-selected stock of general merchandise is carried at all seasons. Mr. Ouren was married on June 26, 1899, in Brown county, to Julia De Nora Ouren, daughter of Anton Ouren, and to this union four children have been born, namely: James Arnold, Julius Maurice, Evelyn Viola and Ernest. Politically, Mr. Ouren is a Democrat and is active and influential in party affairs. He has been county committeeman for his party for the last ten years or more. He was mayor of Hanska for over twelve years, during which time he did much toward the general development and welfare of the place, whose interests he has ever had very much at heart and sought to promote every legitimate way possible. He supports the Unitarian church, of which his wife is a member. Although of the same name, he and his wife were not relations; however, both families came from the same locality in Norway. 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 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/brown/bios/ouren473gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 3.8 Kb