Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Hart, John 1837 - ************************************************ 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 sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 18, 2006, 9:48 pm Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908) JOHN HART. There are few men living in Nobles county today who can claim a longer period of continuous residence than can John Hart, who lives on his original soldier's homestead in Graham Lakes township, taken in the year 1870. He came at a time when there were only about one hundred inhabitants—men, women and children— residing in the whole of Nobles county, and of these original settlers only a very few remain. He passed through all the trials and hardships of pioneer life in this, then, new country, and his biography is well entitled to a place in this volume. He was born in East Hanover, Pa., Oct. 15, 1837, and there he passed his boyhood days, securing a common school education and working on the farm. When the civil war broke out he was among the first to offer his services to his country. He enlisted in a Pennsylvania regiment in May, 1861, for a three months service, at the end of which time he received his discharge. He immediately reenlisted for a three years' term, and served until his term expired in 1864, taking part in the battle of Gettysburg and many other famous battles of the civil war. Not content to return to private life while there was fighting to be done, Mr. Hart reenlisted as a veteran and served until the close of the war, taking part in the grand review at Washington in May, 1865. Immediately after his retirement from the army he came west and located in Wabasha county, Minn. For a year or two he was engaged in logging and rafting on the Mississippi, but thereafter devoted himself exclusively to farming. During his residence at Wabasha he was married (in 1867) to Miss Bridget Maher, who was born near Galena, Ill., but who had come to Wabasha in 1862. To Mr. and Mrs. Hart have been born six children, as follows: James, Jennie (Mrs. Burgess Jones), John, George, Fred and Harry. Mr. Hart moved with his family to Blue Earth in 1869. Looking for a home in the new country to the west, Mr. Hart came to Nobles county in the spring of 1870, and took as a soldier's homestead the southeast quarter of section 20, Graham Lakes township, at a time before the county was organized. He then returned to his home in Blue Earth, but returned to his new home with his family in 1871, and ever since that date has resided here, devoting himself to farming. During his long residence in Graham Lakes he has held various townships offices, and for 27 years has held the office of treasurer of the school district in which he lives. He is a member of the Catholic church and of the Odd Fellows lodge. Additional Comments: Extracted from: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY MINNESOTA BY ARTHUR P. ROSE NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA PUBLISHERS 1908 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/mn/nobles/bios/hart15gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 3.3 Kb