Bio of George E. BESTLAND (b.1860), Yellow Medicine 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: LaNaye Hennen
=========================================================================

GEORGE E. BESTLAND (1867)

George E. Bestland is one of the oldest living settlers of Yellow Medicine
county, having had a continuous residence therein since 1867.  He is a
native of Minnesota and was born in Fillmore county May 20, 1860.

Our subject is a son of Even and Gurie Bestland, natives of Norway, who came
to the United States in the forties.  They first located at Rock River,
Wisconsin, where they engaged in farming.  They moved to Fillmore county,
Minnesota, about sixty years ago, where they purchased a farm and lived
until 1867, when the family moved to Yellow Medicine county.  On arrival
here the father bought a quarter section of land--the northwest quarter of
7, Wood Lake township--and homesteaded a quarter three miles south of Hanley
Falls.  On the latter place the family lived  until after proving up, when
the father sold it to one of his sons and moved to the other farm in Wood
Lake township, where he made his home for many years.  Mrs. Bestland died in
1894, and the next year the aged father sold the farm and moved to Hanley
Falls, where he lived to the time of his death in 1909.  Even Bestland was a
soldier in the Civil War and was with Sherman in the march to the sea.  Nine
children of the family are still living, namely: Margaret, Ole, Gunild,
Halvor, Jane, George, Ellen, Louise and Lena.

George E. Bestland came to Yellow Medicine county with his parents when
seven years of age.  He grew to manhood on the old home farm and received
his education in the schools of the county.  During his younger days he
assisted his parents with the work on the farm.  In 1887 he moved to Hanley
Falls, where, in partnership with Jens Hardy, he was for about six months
engaged in the general merchandise business.  He then sold to his partner,
but for another year made his home at Hanley Falls.  In 1889 he bought his
present farm--the south half of the northeast quarter of section 18, Wood
Lake township--since which time he has been engaged in the operation of the
place, with the exception of one year, 1912, when he was manager of the poor
farm.

Mr. Bestland was married March 20, 1887, at Granite Falls, to Johanna
Ellingson, also a native of Minnesota.  She is a daughter of John Ellingson
and was born in Fillmore county.  Mr. and Mrs. Bestland have ten children
living, as follows: John, Anna, Even, Julian, Roy, Knut, Elmer, Ruth,
Frances and Orlando.  One child, Emma, died in 1912.

The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Hanley Falls.

Source: "A History of Yellow Medicine County" by Arthur P. Rose
Published 1914