Bio of NOLAN, Mr., 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.
FileFormat by Terri--MNArchives

Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Hanson
Submitted: April 2004
=========================================================================

1068 HISTORY OF WRIGHT COUNTY 

this period he engaged in steamfitting and 
plumbing, installing many heating plants in residences throughout the 
county. He purchased twenty-two acres in the outskirts of Waverly village, 
where he does farming on a small scale, making a specialty of fruit culture 
in his splendid orchard. Mr. Nolan is a great believer in co-operation among 
the farmers. He holds shares in the Wright County Co-Operative Live Stock 
Association, the Waverly Co-Operative Shipping Association, and the Waverly 
Co-Operative Creamery. Politically he is independent in thought. He has 
served on the council for many years, and has also been on the school board 
for a long period. Fraternally he is a member of the Catholic Order of 
Foresters. Mr. Nolan was married in May, 1889, to Barbara Berkner, born in 
Michigan, September 16, 1861, daughter of Adam and Barbara (Wise) Berkner. 
Adam Berkner was born in Bavaria, Germany, and at the age of fifteen was 
brought to this country by his oldest sister, Elizabeth, then twenty-four 
years of age. In Michigan he met and married Barbara Wise, a native of the 
same country. In 1869 they came to Minnesota. They bought a piece of land 
in Carver county, but later sold that and bought ten acres in Woodland 
township. This has since been increased by purchase to forty acres. They 
built a log house that is still standing on the place, and started to clear 
the land. Mr. Berkner located the first sawmill in this locality, and sawed 
lumber for the families for miles around. He also erected four sawmills, one 
on his own place, one at Long Lake, one at Litchfield, and one at Waverly. 
Mr. Berkner died at the age of eighty-one. His wife died at the age of eighty. 
In the family there were ten children: Anna, Barbara, Charles (deceased), 
Charles, Elizabeth, Adam and Mary (twins), Alouise Mary, and Louise.