Bio of John E. AFDEM (b.1859), 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. Made available to The USGenWeb Archives by: LaNaye Hennen JOHN E. AFDEM (1879) John E. Afdem, who resides in Clarkfield and farms adjoining farm lands, is one of the prominent and successful men of his city. He first came to Yellow Medicine county thirty-five years ago, and that he has prospered is evidenced by the fact that he is now the owner of 960 acres of the county's soil, a section of South Dakota land, and a half section of land in North Dakota. Mr. Afdem engages in farming on a large scale and is a big stock raiser, making a specialty of Percheron horses and Shorthorn cattle. The gentleman whose name heads this review was born in Norway January 21, 1859, the son of Engebret and Annie Afdem. The father immigrated from Norway in 1866, lived respectively in Watonwan, Yellow Medicine and Redwood counties, Minnesota, and died in the last named in 1902. The mother died in Watonwan county in 1888. John Afdem crossed the water with his parents in 1866 and grew to manhood in Watonwan county, Minnesota. When twenty years old, in 1879, he came to Yellow Medicine county and engaged in farming. After a few years he located in South Dakota, took a pre-emption claim, but resided there less than a year. Returning to Yellow Medicine county, he has since devoted his time and energies to agricultural pursuits. Mr. Afdem has also become interested in other business enterprises. He is treasurer and director of the Farmers Elevator Company of Clarkfield and a director of the Clarkfield Telephone Company. He and his family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church. John Afdem was married in Yellow Medicine county May 3, 1884, to Ingeborg Brekke, a native of Minnesota. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Afdem are as follows: Annie (Mrs. Fagerlie), born November 25, 1886; Hilda, born December 24, 1891; Edwin, born April 5, 1888; Arnold, born February 21, 1895; Marvin, born June 3, 1897; and Gladys, born March 11, 1903. Source: "A History of Yellow Medicine County" by Arthur P. Rose Published 1914