Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Pank, Frederick 1850 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com October 20, 2006, 2:31 am

Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908)

  FREDERICK PANK. When Fred Pank took his homestead claim in Willmont township

in 1877 there were only two permanent settlers in the township—Thos. Klasy and

William Moody. He is therefore one of the pioneers of Willmont and the

township's oldest settler. He still owns his homestead, the east half of the

northwest quarter of section 30, and in addition owns 560 acres of land in

sections 14 and 24, Leota township.



  Mr. Pank was born in the province of Pommern, Prussia, July 17, 1850, the son

of Frederick and Caroline (Metz) Pank. In his native land the elder Pank owned

and conducted a brick yard. He died there in 1906, aged 83 years. His wife died

several years earlier at the age of 68 years. Fred spent his boyhood days in

Pommern and was educated there. Under his father's direction, after becoming old

enough to work, he learned the brick mason's trade.



  Our subject decided early in life to try his fortunes in the new world and in

1868 set sail for America, arriving in New York on Nov. 4. The first three years

were spent in New York city, working at his trade. He then came west and located

at St. Paul. In that city he was one year, holding a position in a brewery. The

next six years of his life were spent in Stillwater, five years as a watchman

and one year as an employe in Wolf's brewery.



  After working in Stillwater for twenty-eight days, on March 24, 1872, the

brewery burned. Mr. Pank was in the brewery at the time of the fire and jumped

from a third story window. All that he possessed was burned. His bedfellow and

another roommate were burned to death, while Mr. Pank awoke just in time to

escape from the burning building. The next year, on June 11, while working as a

watchman, he went into a gas house, which exploded. He got out in some way not

known to himself, but was badly burned. By care of good physicians he soon

recovered.



  In the fall of 1877, in company with a party of Stiliwater men who were

looking for lands to homestead, Mr. Pank came to Nobles county, the exact date

of his arrival in the county being October 11. He at once filed a claim to

eighty acres of land as described above and then returned to Stillwater. In the

spring of 1878 he returned to Nobles county, took up his residence on his claim,

and that has been his home ever since. Three years after his arrival Mr. Pank

took as a tree claim the southeast quarter of section 24, Leota. His other

possessions have been acquired by purchase. Mr. Pank has a fine home and a well

improved farm. He is a breeder of  Polled Angus cattle.



  At Stillwater on March 24, 1873, Mr. Pank was united in marriage to Miss

Catherine Render, who was born in Holstein, Germany, June 1, 1851. She is the

daughter of John and Dorotheo (Kortum) Render who came to the United States in

1866 and located near Stillwater. Mr. and Mrs. Pank are the parents of the

following named children: Rosa J. (Mrs. M. S. Gole), Ocheyedan, Iowa; Edward H.,

a farmer of Leota township; Martha C. and Florence, who reside at home. The

family are members of the German Lutheran church.



  Fred Pank has served as township treasurer for the last twenty-four years, and

prior to his first election to that office served as a member of the board of

supervisors from the time of the organization of Willmont township, in which

event he participated. For nine years he served as director of school district

No. 66. He has been treasurer of the Willmont Mutual Fire Insurance company

since its organization; is a director and shareholder of the Lismore State Bank,

and a director of the Farmers elevator at Lismore. He is a member of the Odd

Fellows and Workmen lodges of Adrian.



Additional Comments:
Extracted from:



AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY OF NOBLES COUNTY

MINNESOTA

BY

ARTHUR P. ROSE



NORTHERN HISTORY PUBLISHING COMPANY 

WORTHINGTON, MINNESOTA 

PUBLISHERS

1908

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