A History of Stewart, Renville Co., MN Bios Only ========================================================================= 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. STEWART BLANCHARD M. Blanchard. native of Wisconsin, was born in 1847 at Wauwatosa. After leaving school he learned milling, in which business he was engaged fourteen years at Watertown, Wisconsin. He then sold, and in 1878 located in Stewart, Minnesota, where he has since been acting as agent in the employ of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad company. He was married in 1867, and hay one child: Mattie. BOEDIGHEIMER Albert Boedigheimer was born April 14, 1849, in Medina county, Ohio. He learned harness-making and removed to St. Paul, where he worked at that trade seven years; was then in business in partnership with Mr. Metzzer from 1873 to 1878, at which date he opened a general store and harness-shop in Stewart: his business house, built in May of that year, was the first erected in Stewart; also conducts the Union elevator, in which he owns one-half interest. He is treasurer of the town of Collins. Married, October 5, 1871, Augusta Krueger; one child: Mary. DEGREE Eli Degree was born in Canada in 1844, and in 1864 came to the States. He served eighteen months in Company A, Sixth Vermont, and after the war returned to that state, where he worked two years at blacksmithing, and then three years in New York. In 1875 he came to Minnesota; followed his trade and farming three years in Grafton. Since erecting a shop in Stewart, in November, 1878, he has been in business here. In 1870 he married Julia Kotie: three children: Moses and Rosa: Jessie is deceased. HALL A. J. Hall was born in 1836 in Rensselaer county. New York. He graduated from a business college at Rockford, Illinois; in 1865 he came to Minnesota, and the following year he and his brother George located at Round Grove, McLeod county; they were among the earliest settlers there. He owned the Round Grove farm of 605 acres until 1879, when he sold to his brother and has since managed the farm, and had charge of G. W. Hall's elevator at Stewart. Married in 1865 Martha Gardiner; they have adopted two children. HORGAN R. H. Horgan was born in Massachusetts in December, 1844, and while small accompanied his parents to Sheboygan county, Wisconsin. Returned to his native state in 1859, and in 1862 sailed for California; three and one-half years later he migrated to Illinois, thence to Wisconsin, and eighteen months after to Minnesota. For some time he made a business of hunting, then for several years did carpenter and cabinet work at Hutchinson. Since 1878 he has conducted a lumber-yard at Stewart; is now serving the town as clerk. In 1875 Miss Caroline Stocking became his wife. SCHMITZ M. Schmitz, native of Prussia, was born in 1850. While young he learned blacksmithing at St. Paul, Minnesota, and until 1878 worked there at his trade. During his residence in that city he was four years a member of the fire department. In July, 1878, he built a shop at Stewart, which was one of the first buildings in the village, and has since been in business here. In 1874 he married Miss H. Schwartz. Edward W., Alexander J. and Francis A. are their children. SENESCALL William Senescall was born in 1826 and lived in England, his birthplace, until 1848, at which date he came to America. He lived one year in New York and two years in Michigan, engaged in livery and draying business, then removed to Dakota county, Minnesota where he worked at farming from 1852 until 1864. Enlisted in August of that year in Company F, First Minnesota independent battalion; served eighteen months as farrier, and after returning he dealt in horses until 1880 when he came here and bought the Stewart House. He married January 21, 1851, Mary Mayo •who has borne seven children; one is deceased.