A History of Preston Lake, Renville Co., MN Bios Included ========================================================================= 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. FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher Submitted: Janusry 2005 ========================================================================= Excerpted from: "HISTORY OF THE MINNESOTA VALLEY, INCLUDING THE EXPLORERS AND PIONEERS OF MINNESOTA" BY REV. EDWARD D. NEILL, -AND — "HISTORY OF THE SIOUX MASSACRE" BY CHARLES S. BRYANT. MINNEAPOLIS: NORTH STAR PUBLISHING COMPANY, 1882. RENVILLE COUNTY. CHAPTER LXXXIII. PRESTON LAKE September 28, 1869, this town was organized by the election of the following officers: E. U. Russell, chairman. William Rosser and Ira S. Sheppard, supervisors; H. H. Davis, clerk; J. A. Washburn, treasurer; G. A. Gifford and Allison Houck, justices; J. L. Maun and W. Herring, constables. The first claim was taken by Dr. Engle, who, with N. A. Van Meter, located in August, 1862; they went below for supplies, but were prevented from returning by the Indian outbreak. In 1866 a few families settled near the lakes, among them Messrs. Olloway, Chilson, Reeks, Rosser and Mrs. Ward. The first religious meetings were held by the Methodists in 1869; a society was organized and now holds services semi-monthly. Other denominations have held occasional services. The first school was taught in 1870 by Mary Stone. The first marriage was that of Judson Mann and Lucy Haven, in 1867. The first birth was George, son of R. Olloway, born in 1867. The first deaths occurred in 1866; two men who had gone after mail were found frozen to death; their names were Gozette and Cairne. Swansea post-office was established in 1869 with William Rosser, the present postmaster, in charge. The village of Buffalo Lake was surveyed in 1881 on land owned by J. C. Riebe on section 30, and is improving rapidly; there are now two general stores, a hotel, a blacksmith shop, two saloons and two warehouses. ALLEN Charles W. Allen was born in Oxford county, Maine, in 1835, and after leaving school learned carpentering and shoemaking. He worked at those trades in his native state until coming to Preston Lake in 1872; he owns a farm here and has worked in various parts of the state at his trade. He has held different town offices since coming here. While in Maine he enlisted in the 16th regiment of that state, Company I, and was in the army from August, 1862, until January, 1864. Mr. Allen's first and second wives died in Maine; his present wife was Ellen Houck; the children are James, William, Selden, Cora, Carrol, Elton, Gertrude and Silas. BARTLETT H. F. Bartlett, native of Massachusetts, was born in 1844 in Hadley. When sixteen years of age he began learning carpenter work, which trade he followed there seven years. Upon coming to Minnesota in 1867 he worked that summer in Minneapolis, spent the next winter in McLeod county, and since the spring of 1868 has been farming and stock raising in Preston Lake, where for seven years he has been town treasurer. Melinda F. Green was married to Mr. Bartlett January 8, 1872. Junius and Henry are their children. EYNON Ambrose Eynon, born in 1851, in Canada, has been a resident of the States since nine years of age, when he accompanied his parents to Wisconsin. He learned the trade of carpenter and was employed in that business until 1873, at which date he came to his present home in Preston Lake, which town he has served a number of years as chairman of the board. Mr. Eynon married in 1874, Luella Scott; the children are Marian G., Scott W., Arthur W., and Helen I. EYNON Watkins Eynon was born in Wales in 1821, and when nine years old moved with his father's family to Canada, where he worked about eight years at the carpenter's trade. In 1859 he removed to Wisconsin, and continued that trade fourteen years, also worked some time at farming. His home, since 1873, has been in Preston Lake, and he has held the office of justice here, four years. Married in 1845, Mary Woodhull, who died in 1861: Thomas L., Sarah, Ambrose, Elizabeth, William and Isabella are their children. GERBER William Gerber was born in 1832. He learned the trade of stone mason, at which he worked, in Prussia, his birthplace, until 1868, then settled at Ripon Wisconsin, where he continued in the same work four or five years. Lived at Howard Lake, Minnesota, from 1872 until 1876, since which time he has been employed at his trade and farming, in Preston Lake. Married Amelia Stahr, January 29, 1861; two of their children are deceased; the living are Robert, Mina, Frederick, Julius, Ida, August, Emma and Lucy. HALVERSON Ole Halverson, native of Norway, was born April 2, 1817, and immigrated to Illinois in 1839. Removed to Iowa county, Wisconsin; worked at mining and farming, also conducted a store several years. In 1862 he went to Dane county, where he was in mercantile business ten years. His first wife died in that state and he married Mrs. Mary Halverson, whose maiden name was Dolven. In 1874 he came to Preston Lake; has held several town offices. Mrs. Halverson had one son by her first husband: Ole. HAMANN Charles Hamann, born in 1835 is a native of Prussia. When about twenty years of age he emigrated for America; after living in Illinois two years he began farming in Carver county, Minnesota, but removed in the spring of 1878 to Preston Lake. On the 2d of April, 1861, he enlisted in Company B, 1st Minnesota; was in more than twenty engagements, and was honorably discharged in May. 1864. Married Amelia Miller in 1864, who has borne him eight children: August, Hermann, Lizzie, Mary, Emma, Lena, Adeline and Charley. HOUCK Elijah Houck was born in 1840, in Maryland, but went with his fathers family when only seven years old, to live in Indiana. In 1854 he removed to Minnesota: lived near St. Paul eighteen mouths, five or six years in Rice county, and then in Dakota county, until coming in 1866 to Preston Lake. His father, Allison Houck, who died here July 5. 1876, was born in 1817, in Huntington county, Pennsylvania, and was married in that state, in 1840, to Charlotte Christ, born in 1822, in Maryland. The Houck family are among the oldest settlers here; there were thirteen children, three are deceased, and ten live in this town. LEWIS J. E. Lewis, born in New York, in 1832, came in 1867 to Minnesota: stayed nearly two years then returned and followed farming a number of years in his native state. Came to Minnesota again, and since 1873 has given considerable attention to farming and stock raising; that year he took a tree claim in Preston Lake, and now has 30 acres of thrifty trees; owns in all 465 acres of land. He was in the drug business at Hutchinson until July, 1880; in 1881 he opened a store at Buffalo Lake, where he carries drugs and general merchandise; also deals in lumber. Married, September 11, 1872, Emily Ridont: John C. and Emily M. are their children. PAINTER George and Albert Painter are sons of John Painter, who was born in 1832 in Pennsylvania, and worked at blacksmithing in that state from his youth until 1868, when he migrated to Howard Lake, Minnesota. George was born in Indiana in 1855, and Albert in Pennsylvania in 1857. They accompanied their parents to this state in 1868, and learned the trade of blacksmith, at which they worked in connection with farming in Martinsburg, Renville county, where they had located in 1877. In December, 1881, they built a shop at Buffalo Lake, their present place of business. ROSSER George W. Rosser, native of Canada, was born in 1856, and his home has been in Preston Lake, since coming here with his parents, when ten years old. In 1876 he came to his farm of 50 acres on section 11. He has held the town offices of clerk and assessor. Mr. Rosser married in 1876, Sarah Eynon: they have three children: Watkin W., Edwin R. and Anabel. ROSSER William Rosser was born in 1830 in London, Canada. At the age of seventeen he began teaching; followed that occupation nine years and then for ten years he was in the grocery trade at Carlyle. Since the spring of 1866, his home has been in Preston Lake. He has been supervisor, justice and town clerk: has also been since 1868, postmaster of Swansea. Married in 1855, Elizabeth Alway: five children: George, Annie, Albert, Mat tie and Lizzie.