Bio of Herman BLUME (b.1833), Wright Co., MN 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. Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Glen Pettit Transcribed by: Glen Pettit This Bio is from the HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY, Volumes I and II, Published in 1915 by Franklin Curtiss - Wedge. Surname Index for The HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY can be found at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/mn/wright/wright.html Under HISTORY. NOTE: This file was scanned and changed to text so there may be some typos. pg 502 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY Herman Blume, one of the most substantial and respected citizens of Monticello, was born in Westphalia, Germany, November 16, 1833. He there received a splendid training, passing through the lower and the high schools, mastering the trades of machinist and engineer, and serving three years in the First Horse Battery, Garde Corps, Berlin, of the Prussian army. It was in 1858 that he came to America, located in Cincinnati, and secured employment in his uncle's factory across the river in Covington, Ky. In 186I he enlisted from Cincinnati as sergeant in the Fourth Ohio Independent Battery and by reenlistment at Woodville, Ala., in 1863, served until the close of the war, being honorably discharged with the rank of first lieutenant. His war career was an heroic and thrilling one. At the Battle of Lookout Mountain he had the misfortune to lose his left eye. At the Battle of Jonesboro, his horse, being shot dead beneath him, fell in such a manner as to inflict permanent injury to the gallant warrior's left knee, causing a life-long Lameness. After the war the young Lieutenant pg 503 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY went to St. Louis and became engineer In a candle factory. It was in 1868 that he came to Wright county and secured employment as engineer in the sawmill of Fred Hitten at Monticello. Two years later he moved out to a farm of eighty acres in Maple Lake township which he had bought about a year earlier. This tract was at that time covered with heavy timber He erected a frame house, broke, grubbed and cleared the land, developed a splendid place. and continued as a prosperous farmer until 1905 when he sold out and retired to Monticello where he now 1ives, honored and esteemed for his useful life and sterling character. Mr. Blume was married at Indianapolis, In., March 1, 1865 to Matilda Gehrenbeck, born in Germany, January 5, 1842, daughter of sturdy German parents who brought her to America in 1852, and located with them in Indiana. A pretty romance Surrounds the marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Blume. Mr. Blume had met and wooed the then Matilda Gehrenbeck before he enlisted in the army. Early in February. being then a brave young lieutenant in the midst of a hard military campaign, he received a letter telling him that owing to the unsettled conditions in America, the Gehrenbeck family was about to return to Germany. Lieutenant Blume at once obtained a short leave of absence, went to Indianapolis, married the lady of his choice and saved her from a trip to Germany then returning to his duties, a married and happy man. Mr. and Mrs. Blume have had ten children: Herman, Matilda (deceased), Minnie (deceased), Charles, Gottlieb, Nella, Theresa, Anthony, Frank (deceased) and Julia (deceased). Herman lives in Nevis, Minn. He married Eva Goelz and they have seven children: Margaret, Matilda, Lulu, Walter, Arthur, Herman and John. Matilda married Robert Bredt, and had five children: Titus, George, Marie and Helen (twins), and Theresa (deceased). Minnie married John Lovell and they had two children: Leona and Newell. Charles lives in Monticello township. He married Emma Lempe and they have two children: Irene and Clarence. Gottlieb lives in Cambridge, Minn. He married Lucinda King and they have two children, Oallah and Flora. Nella is the wife of Gustav Eggena of Monticello village, and they have two children Alice and Karl. Theresa is the wife of James Gorman, of Maple Lake village; and they have three children: Viola, Beatrice and Paul. Anthony lives in McGregor N.D. He married Nettie Truax, and they have a daughter, Gertrude. An important event in the life of Mr. and Mrs. Blume was the celebration, on March 1, 1915, of their golden wedding anniversary. Six children. twenty-one grandchildren and a hundred and thirty guests were present. A banquet and dance were given. speeches were made, the wedding ceremony was reenacted by Rev. Holland. And many gifts received including a purse of $60 in gold from the family. Mrs. Blume wore the same wreath and flowers that her mother had worn on a similar occasion twenty-five years before. The entire community united in its felicitations and congratulations.