Bio of James R. ROST (b 1871), Jackson Co., MN

=========================================================================
USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information
on the Internet, material may be freely used by non-commercial entities,
as long as this message remains on all copied material, AND permission is
obtained from the contributor of the file.
These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or
presentation by other organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to
use this material for non-commercial purposes, MUST obtain the written
consent of the contributor, OR the legal representative of the submitter,
and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent.

If you have found this file through a source other than the MNArchives 
Table Of Contents you can find other Minnesota related Archives at:
http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/mnfiles.htm
Please note the county and type of file at the top of this page to find 
the submitter information or other files for this county.

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Kathryn Kelly
=========================================================================

The following excerpt comes from 
An Illustrated History of Jackson County, Minnesota
by Arthur P. Rose
Northern History Publishing Company, Jackson, Minnesota, 1910

p. 493-494

JAMES R. ROST (1871), blacksmith and dealer in farm machinery at 
Lakefield, comes from one of the well known and pioneer families 
of western Jackson county and is himself a native of the county, 
having been born in Rost township December 26, 1871. He is the 
son of Herman and Augusta (Newman) Rost.

Herman Rost and family came to Jackson county in 1869 and 
homesteaded the southwest quarter of section 22 in what is now 
known as Rost township. Frederick Rost, the father of Herman 
Rost, also came at that early date and homesteaded on section 26, 
of the same township, and it was in his honor the township was 
named. The father of our subject was born in Germany and came to 
America when nine years of age. He still lives on the homestead 
he took forty years ago. James is one of a family of five children, 
named as follows: Mary, James R., Herman A., Reinhart R. and Clara M.

Until he was nineteen years of age James Rost attended the district 
school and worked on his father's farm. He then moved to Lakefield 
and for four years worked in the blacksmith shop of R. D. Pietz. In 
1896 he bought the blacksmith shop of Ernest Tank, and in the fall 
of the same year moved to the present site, erecting a building, 
which has since been enlarged until now it covers an area of 42x50 
feet. He does a general blacksmithing and repair business and 
conducts a wagon and machine shop. In 1900 Mr. Rost started in the 
farm machinery business in connection with his blacksmith shop and 
handles a full line of farm machinery, threshing machinery, gasoline 
and steam engines and automobiles.

Mr. Rost was married in the township which bears his name on 
December 6, 1893, to Ida C. Webber, a native of Rost township and a 
daughter of August Webber, a pioneer settler.

>From 1902 to 1907 Mr. Rost was a member of the Lakefield village 
council. He has been a member of the Lakefield fire department since 
December 5, 1902. He was chief for four years and has held the office 
of treasurer for the past five years. He is a member of the Lutheran 
church.