Bio of Joseph MATTER, Wright Co., MN

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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.

In 1856 Joseph Matter and some of his brothers and countrymen arrived 
and settled on the land between one and three miles west of Delano. 
He could never tire telling how he and his brothers aid his old friend 
Mathias Schaust used to cut the stoutest oaks, elms and maples, roll 
them in a pile and burn them, so that for weeks and months a smoky, 
hazy atmosphere enveloped the old thick woods, prophesying to them 
their ultimate destruction. But in the midst of all this fire and 
smoke these hardy settlers felt contented and happy, looking hopefully 
into future, knowing that they selected a rich country- for their home.
In 1864 the two-year-old baby, Joseph, son of Joseph Matter, died. 
The father did not like to take him to Chaska or Minneapolis for burial
so he decided to bury him on an elevated knoll in his wheat field, and 
thus, not knowing, started the present cemetery of this congregation.
Joseph Matter and his neighbors were in the Civil war. Returning in 
1865 they made up their minds to build a church. These pioneers were 
men of word and acts. not losing much time with plans and style of 
architecture. Joseph Matter, with his brothers. Louis, Philipp, John 
and Anthony, and Mathias Schaust, Joseph Baumann, Andrew Oehrlein, John 
Kiichenmeister, John Muckenhirn, Joseph Stolz and Mike Brenner, started 
with the work and erected the first Catholic church building on our 
cemetery. In 1869 they bought a bell, paying $200 for it.
I was filled with sentimental thoughts when in 1901 I had to tear down 
the old venerable structure and so to obliterate a monument of the early 
religions zeal of our pioneers. But I could not prevail against myself 
to remove the belfry with its sweet sound.

	HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY