Nobles County MN Archives Biographies.....Thomas, Knute 1834 - 1903 ************************************************ 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 21, 2006, 9:24 pm Author: Arthur P. Rose (1908) KNUTE THOMAS. Among the pioneer settlers of Nobles county and of Little Rock township is Knute Thomas, who has resided on his Little Rock township farm over thirty-seven years. He is a native of Nomadahl, Norway, and was born April 5, 1850. His father's name was Tostend, who died when Knute was three years old. His mother, Julia Tostend, died in Nobles county in November, 1889. When he was nine years of age Knute, accompanied by his mother and three other children, came to the United States and located in Iowa county, Wis. There he resided, working out on farms and at other work, until he came to Nobles county at the age of twenty-one years. Gunder Joul and Erick B. Paul, (the latter now living in Worthington), old acquaintances of the Thomas family, had come to Nobles county in 1870 and settled in Indian Lake township. They wrote back to their friends in Iowa county, telling them of the glories of the new country and of the advantages to be .obtained here. A party of six, including Knute Thomas, was made up, and all drove through to Nobles county, each having a rig of his own. They arrived during the month of July, 1871, and all took homesteads in Little Rock township, which then had not been organized or given a name. Mr. Thomas took as a preemption claim the northeast quarter of section 10, in time proved up on it, and has ever since made it his home. During the first three or four years he spent most of his time working out in the Wisconsin pineries, but made his home on the claim during the winter months. In 1872 he erected a sod house on his claim, covered the building with straw, which served for a roof, and made his home, in that several years. Later the sod building was replaced by a frame "shack," 12x14 feet. This was replaced in 1885 by his present commodious house. During the pioneer days Mr. Thomas suffered many hardships. He farmed on only a small scale, but even a small crop he was not permitted to reap, for the hoppers took nearly his entire crop each year. In Dodgeville, Wis., on Dec. 8, 1886, Mr. Thomas was married to Mrs. Maline (Datter) Thompson, who was born in Norway and who came to Wisconsin when a child. They are the parents of three children—Thom Albert, born Nov. 11, 1887; Laura Jane, born June 26, 1889; Oscar Nicholas, born June 1, 1892. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Little Rock township. 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/thomas91gbs.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/mnfiles/ File size: 3.2 Kb