A History of Troy, 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. TROY This town was set apart for organization March 21, 1876, and the first election held on April 8. J. W. Hodsdon was elected chairman. Peter Miller and August Schendel, supervisors: J. L. White, clerk; Charles Waldo, assessor; T. H. Risinger, treasurer: August Schendel and T. H. Risinger, justices: Charles Waldo, constable. August Schendel took the first claim in the town in 1871, and in 1873 brought his family. In 1872 Paul Seeger, Peter Miller and Charles Waldo settled in the town. The first religious meetings were held by the Evangelicals in 1872; a society was organized, which in 1881 built a frame church on section 18 at a cost of about $1,600. A Methodist society was organized, but afterward joined the one at Olivia. Maggie Ericson taught the first school in 1877. Millard White and Delia Miller were the first couple married; the event occurred in 1878. Robert Seeger, born in May, 1873, was the first birth. The first death was in 1874, that of Birdie Brown. ATCHLEY H. S. Atchley was born April 6. 1832, in Ovid Seneca county, New York. Lived in Michigan from infancy until five years of age, when the family removed to Wisconsin and he resided in different parts of that state and Minnesota; was in Davenport, Iowa, a short time, then lived five years in St. Paul. Enlisted August 20, 1861, in Company K, Second Minnesota, and returned to this state, upon being discharged April 7, 1862, for injuries received in service. He has lived in different places but since 1878 his home has been in Troy. October 9, 1867, he married Eliza Verian: their children are Martha, Mary J., Debora A. Lizzie, Willis and Orin S. BINGENHEIMER Fred Bingenheimer was born June 30, 1851, in Germany, and when fourteen years old accompanied his parents to Wright county, Minnesota. In 1873 he removed to Minneapolis, thence in 1876 to Dakota county and in 1879 came to Troy; married May 24, 1877; his wife, who was Helen Schween, has borne him two children; Amanda H. E. and Eliza S. D. BURCH George Burch, native of Indiana, was born May 15, 1838, in White county, and at the age of ten years migrated, with his parents to Illinois. He enlisted August 15, 1862 in Company E, 93d Illinois and served until June 23, 1865; he was confined in rebel prison four months. In 1865 Mr. Burch located in Beaver Falls Minnesota, but since 1878 has lived in Troy. His wife was Violetta M. Comstock, married March 22, 1874. BURCH Perry Burch was born July 17, 1844, in White county, Indiana, where he remained until 1852, at which date he moved to Illinois. From 1862 until 1865 his home was in Le Sueur county, Minnesota, and then he lived in Beaver Falls until coming, in 1881 to Troy. Mr. Burch participated in the Indian war of 1862. He married June 15, 1875, Maggie J. Powers: one child, Mary Ethel. CONVERSE J. B. Converse, born June 22, 1832, in Bridgewater, Oneida county, New York. He learned the trade of miller and in the winter of 1862-3 operated a mill in Mantorville Minnesota; returned to New York and until the spring of 1864 was working at his trade in Will county, Illinois, then in Goodhue county, this state till coming in 1876 to Troy. Married November 25, 1857. Abbie Gaskell: Arthur J. is their only child. DRESCHER W. E. Drescher, who is a native of Germany, was born in 1838. He emigrated from that country in 1868 and resided in Rock county, Wisconsin, until 1871; then came to New Ulm. Minnesota, but removed one year later to Troy. Mr. Drescher married in 1863, Lena Repe, she has borne him eleven children; Hulda, William, Charles, Edward, Anna, Magdaline and Emma are living. FRITZ Ferdinand Fritz, who was born in the year 1823, is a native of Germany: immigrated in 1870 to Dodge county, Wisconsin, but removed in 1874 to Minnesota and has since been a resident of the town of Troy; his farm is located on section 32 and contains 80 acres. FRITZ Herman Fritz, a native of Germany, was born in 1833 and lived in that country until 1865, since that date he has been a resident of the United States; his home was in Dodge county, Wisconsin until 1872, when he located at his farm of eighty acres on section 32 of Troy. In 1847 he married Ernestine Peper: have eight children: Ferdinand, Bertha, Wilhelmena, Louis, Ida, Anna, Herman and Julius. HODSDON J. W. Hodsdon was born September 25, 1853, in Kennebec county, Maine. From 1871 until 1874 he resided in Wabasha county. Minnesota, then located permanently in Troy; he has filled various town offices and has been chairman of the board since the organization of the town. On the 26th day of July, 1874, he married Alice M. Holton ; Etta Belle is their only child. LOWERY J. W. Lowery, native of Wisconsin, was born July 1, 1846 in Grant county. He enlisted November 15, 1862; remained in service until July 16, 1865, when he returned to Wisconsin and continued to live there till 1868 at which time he migrated to Wabasha county, Minnesota. Since 1869 his home has been on section 30 of Troy. Married February 9, 1878, Matilda French; they have had two children; Floyd Edgar is living. MCCORMICK Frank McCormick, native of Connecticut, was born June 10, 1854. In 1865 he went to Newark, New Jersey. After remaining there one year and the same length of time in Northfield, Minnesota, he came, in 1867, to Troy, where he has held different town offices; his farm is located on section 6. Mary Alice Burch became his wife December 25, 1876: they have one child, Effie May. MILLER P. Miller, a native of New York, was born December 28, 1842, in Columbia county; from the age of four until twenty-four years his home was in the state of Wisconsin; then he lived until 1872 in Dodge county, Minnesota and since that in the town of Troy. Mr. Miller served in the late war from February, 1864 to November, 1865. NILL Conrad Nill was born in 1832. He learned blacksmithing in Germany, the land of his birth, and emigrating from there in 1855 he came to this country to live. Until 1865 he lived in Hennepin county, Minnesota with the exception of one year in New Jersey. After residing in New Ulm three years he located in Troy. Mr. Nill enlisted in 1862 and served through the remainder of the war. In 1865 Anna Schrap was married to him and has borne him four children: Anna, Conrad, August, Katie and Willie. OLSON P. Olson, native of Sweden, was born September 8, 1838; when twenty- one years old he entered the army of that country and served fourteen years. In 1873 he went to Kansas but the year following removed to Beaver Falls, Minnesota and in 1878 came to Troy. He married April 2, 1863. Katie Pearson; Mary, Peter S., Ellen, Eliza M. and Lawrence I. are their children. REIK William Reik, who was born in 1822, is a native of Germany, where he was reared on a farm and from 1840 until 1844 served in the army. In 1873 he immigrated to Minnesota and settled on section 20, town of Troy. The marriage uniting William Reik and Henrietta Tolsen took place in 1851 in Germany; There are four children: Gustaf. Herman, William and Tilda. SCHENDEL G. Schendel, born January 2, 1851, is a native of Germany, but has been a resident of the United States since coming here when five years old with his parents. Resided in Hennepin county, Minnesota, until coming in 1871 to Troy; on April 6. 1846 he married Augusta Schaffer, who is the mother of three children: Amel L. and Emma M. E. are living. STANGE Johan Stange was born October 4, 1843, and remained in Germany, the land of his birth, till 1866, the date of his immigration to Jefferson county, Wisconsin. In 1873 he located in Brown county, Minnesota, but removed in 1876 to Troy, his present home; married September 10, 1871, Eureka Brown; their children are Ernest, Willie, John and Christian. WALDO C. Waldo, born June 10,1840, in Germany, came with his parents to Wisconsin when he was fourteen years old, and when fifteen he started in life for himself. He served from October 17, 1861, to October 13, 1862, in Company A, 18th Wisconsin infantry. From 1866 until 1872 his home was in Dodge county, Minnesota, then he came to Troy. Mr. Waldo has held numerous town offices. Malvina Miller became his wife April 15, 1871. The living children are Gertie L., Rosie M., John C. and Hiram M.