Present Ben Hemann Farm
North of Stacyville
Staked Out 101 years ago
by Nicholas Hemann

The present Ben Hemann farm north of Stacyville started with a log cabin 101 years ago. The old grandfather, Nicholas Hemann, came to Iowa with Adam Blake. He settled 1 ½ miles north of what was later the town of Stacyville, Iowa.

Since they were the first settlers in the community, they had the choice of all the land for miles around. Nicholas picked that particular tract of land because of its convenient water supply. The Little Cedar river runs within 400 feet of the buildings and although the county road passes between the buildings and river now, there wasn’t so much as an Indian path between in 1855.

Nicholas plowed the first furrow on the farm and in the township on June 1, 1855. He had arrived on the land the previous day, having come from McHenry County, Illinois. He built the log cabin in which the family lived for two years, until lumber from the sawmill was available.

Born in Prussia

Nicholas was born in Hertena, Prussia, on September 15, 1823. He came to the United States in 1846, when he was 23 years old. He was married in 1849 to Mary Freund, who was born on November 5, 1826, in Prussia.

He worked on a farm in Illinois after reaching the U.S. He remained there for six years after his marriage and then came to Iowa in horse drawn wagons. After he started farming, he was considered “modern” because he used horses for farm work. He bought his tract of land directly from the government.

Nicholas and his wife had nine children, all of whom remained near Stacyville. They included Mrs. Math Krebsbach, Mrs. Henry May, Mrs. Bernard May, Mrs. Joe Buhr, Mrs. Peter Weber, Mrs. Math Dieterich, Mrs. Rose Durben, Julia Hemann, and Math Hemann. Math later settled on the family farm.

Math Bought Farm

In 1893, Nicholas sold the farm to his son, Math, who was born there on January 6, 1865. The Nicholas Hemanns had a total of 76 grandchildren. Mrs. Hemann died in 1881 and Nicholas died in 1898.

Mr. & Mrs. Math Hemann Math was the only son of Nicholas Hemann, the original settler on the Hemann farm. Math was born on the farm on January 6, 1865. He bought the land from his father. Math married Gertrude Hackenmiller on November 19, 1885. She was born in Johnsburg, Illinois. Larger version

Math Hemann was married on November 19, 1885, to Gertrude Hackenmiller, who was born in Johnsburg, Illinois. They raised their six daughters and four sons on the farm.

Their family included Elizabeth Hemann, Mrs. John Kraus, Mrs. E. P. Halbach, Sister Mary Viola, Mrs. Anton Michels, Mrs. Hubert Halfman, John N. Hemann, Anton J. Hemann, Delphin L. Hemann and Bernard (Ben) J. Hemann.

Math installed electricity on the farm in 1918. A water pressure system was added in 1935. He bought the second gasoline engine sold in Stacyville in 1905.

Used Early Tractor

In 1913, he built a silo and put his first tractor to use

Mary Freund Hemann wife of Nicholas Hemann. Mary was born in Prussia in 1826 and died in 1881 at the age of 55

in 1915. This had a six bottom plow, and was a one cylinder Hart Parr machine. It ran on kerosene. Stacyville didn’t have a tank wagon, so fuel was hauled by mule team from St. Ansgar at 6 cents a gallon.

A Hupmobile automobile was bought in 1916 and the license plates of that machine are still owned by Ben Hemann.

Mrs. Math Hemann died on September 28, 1913. Math died on April 19, 1938. Besides their 10 children, they had 33 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren.

Ben Hemann, the third owner of the farm, married Olive Halbach on October 26, 1927. They had eight children.

Active in Community

Mr. & Mrs. Ben Hemann are both active in community and

Nicholas Hemann Nicholas came to Mitchell county in 1855 and settled north of Stacyville, Iowa. He plowed the first furrow in the township in June of that year.

county affairs. Mrs. Hemann is 4-H club leader in her township and all the Ben Hemann children have been in 4-H club work.

The Hemanns have been members of the Mitchell County Farm Bureau for several years. Ben is also a member of the Soil Conservation group and the Iowa Crop and Improvement Association. He is a director of the Co-Op Oil company and is secretary of the Visitation Catholic church in Stacyville.

The Hemann farm consists of 344 acres located 1 ½ miles north of Stacyville. Crops last year included 80 acres each of corn and oats, 20 acres of soy beans, 30 acres of clover and alfalfa, and 25 acres of Timothy.

Early Threshing Machine: The above picture of Math Hemann’s threshing machine was taken in 1896. Math was at the extreme left of the picture. The machine was driven by horse power. About 10 horses were used. The third man from the left was Andrew Moyerhofer. To the right of him, standing against the machine, was Math Adams. Both Moyerhofer and Adams were Math Hemann’s brothers-in-law. John N. Hemann, Math’s son, was standing on the machine in the foreground. He was 9 years old at that time. To the right of him, also on the machine, was Joseph Hemann. Joseph was Math’s uncle. On the extreme right in the picture was Math’s cousin, Nick.

Raise Cattle

They have 100 head of cattle, including 22 dairy cows, 10 stock cows and 30 beef cattle marketed each year. They also raise 125 head of swine and 550 chickens.

A Novel Dish

June 3, 1925: Will Griswold tells us some interesting bits of history about quack grass and dandelions that surprises us, it may do the same by you.

He says that Dr. Downs, one of the promoters of the town site of Osage, Iowa in the 1850’s, brought dandelions here and planted them in his garden for greens. They were a delicacy and quite troublesome to find. Will says that he has made, in his youth, more than one trip to the Illinois Central right-of-way, a quarter of a mile south of the fairground, to dig dandelion greens for his father’s family. He has no such distance to go for them now; thus have living conditions eased.

Hon. N. C. Deering, our representative in Congress in the 1880’s, sent quack grass seed to this country in answer to a call for a grass that would stand drought.

Never, since Osage was very young, has it been without a “Doctor Whitley”. The senior doctor was John Lord Whitley. He was the father of Dr. Ralph Lee Whitley, who is practicing in Osage today and who is also the Mitchell county coroner.

Dr. John Whitley was born in Busti, New York, on July 29, 1848. He came to Mitchell county and Osage in 1869. He married Ada Marilla Chase, daughter of Dr. S. B. Chase. Dr. John died on December 16, 1898. His wife died on January 15, 1933.

They were the parents of five children: Ralph L., Clara, Rosel, Roy Sumner, Fred Chase and Merle Lord.

Dr. John built the present Enabnit apartment. Each room on the ground floor was finished with a different kind of woodwork. The house was built when Dr. Ralph was a child.

Lot Used for Baseball

Before Dr. John built his house, the lot had been used as a ball diamond for the children of the town. They sold the house in 1890. It contained the first hot air furnace in Osage.

The house across the street from Dr. John’s was built in 1870 by Dr. S. B. Chase. Dr. Ralph was born there the following year. Dr. Chase built several houses in Osage, including the red brick at the corner of Chase and Fifth street and one or two in the third ward.

All of the John Whitley children, with the exception of Merle, were born in the Chase house. Merle was born across the street in the Whitley house.

Dr. Ralph attended the Osage schools and the Cedar Valley Seminary. He also worked in the post office. He was given a cadetship to West Point and remained there until a knee injury forced him to leave.

Went to Grinnell

He entered Grinnell college in 1890, and graduated as valedictorian of his class in 1895. He was captain of the track team at Grinnell, and served as president of the Iowa Athletic association.

After graduating from Grinnell, Dr. Ralph attended Rush Medical school in Chicago. He completed the four year course in three years. He then returned to Osage to assume his father’s practice, since Dr. John was in poor health.

Dr. Ralph married Gertrude Bell Whitaker on August 2, 1898. They had one son, John Chase, who was born in 1905. He now lives in Glenville, Illinois. Dr. Ralph’s wife died on April 22, 1942. He married in 1944 to Grace Foreman Low.

3,000 Babies

Keeping the people of this community well has been the job of Dr. Chase, Dr. John Whitley and Dr. Ralph Whitley for more than 80 years. Dr. Ralph has delivered more than 3000 babies. He retired from obstetrics and major surgery in 1940. He still has the surgical instruments used by his father.

Clara Whitley, Dr. Ralph’s sister, went to the Cedar Valley seminary also. Later, she went to St. Mary’s hall in Faribault, MN. For a while she worked as secretary in the law offices of Salisbury and Eaton. Then she became secretary for the high school. She worked there for 37 years.

Roy Sumner Whitley, the third living child of Dr. John Whitley, lives in Clinton, Iowa.

Ole Johnson Maakestad came to Mitchell county in 1856. He had earned the money to come to the United States by working on the Norwegian shores. He settled first in LaSalle County, Illinois in 1854. Two years later, he came west to Mitchell county. He was born on Christmas day in 1826, in Hardanger, Norway.

When he first came to Mitchell county, Maakestad worked for Thomas Wardall of Mitchell. Ole’s wife, Kirsti Nelson Maakestad, was born in Sigdal, Norway on April 17, 1834. She came to Wisconsin with her family in 1853. They moved to Mitchell county in 1859. She worked for various people in Osage, including Dr. S. B. Chase and Jacob Chase.

Ole Maakestad and Kirsti were married on September 30, 1861. Their first home was a log house which they built themselves in 1862. Ole cut all the logs himself.

Buy Government Land

Their land was bought directly from the government in 1859 at $1.25 an acre. A few acres had been broken prior to Maakestad’s acquiring the land, and had been sown to wheat, barley and oats. His brother, Stewart, helped him split 1,200 rails to fence their land. Stewart was injured and died in the Civil War.

The logs which they split to build the original Maakestad home are being used at the Rock Creek church at present. All of the Maakestad children were born in this house.

The Maakestad home was used as a simple log house for many years. Later, siding was applied on the outside and the inside walls were finished. It was 18 by 20 feet. The house was dismantled several years ago.

Post Office on Farm

In 1882, the post office from Meroa was moved to the Maakestad farm, and Maakestad was postmaster the last three years of his life. He was a charter member of the Rock Creek Lutheran church, signing his name as Ole Johnson at that time. He also taught a Sunday school class.

Mrs. Maakestad’s brother and two sisters lived in this vicinity also. Her sisters were (Mrs. Ole Fagerbakken, later changed to Fagre) and Jorand (Mrs. Johan N. Johnson). Her brother was Nels Nelson. Mrs. Maakestad died on July 3, 1925. She was the oldest member of the Rock Creek congregation at that time.

The three oldest Maakestad children: Martha (Mrs. Peter Motland), Lena (Oline, Mrs. Hans (Ole) Odden) and Sever, all attended the Cedar Valley seminary. The other two daughters, Ingeborg (Mrs. Harold Klemesrud) and Anna (Mrs. Theodore Fagre) attended the St. Ansgar seminary.

Taught School

Mrs. Odden taught before her marriage, first in the old Torblaa school and later in Worth County. She had to leave for school early in the morning, often struggling through snow banks waist deep in the winter. Then she had to build a fire in the cold schoolhouse from chunks of wood. Water had to be carried from an old well in the school yard.

No telephones were available and if one of the children became ill or were injured, they were cared for by the teacher until school was out or help could be summoned. Mrs. Odden told how one of her sisters had to wear hip boots to school when the water was high in the spring.

The Maakestad children went to grade school in what was known as the Walnut Creek school Some of their first teachers were Ole Fjelde, father of Mrs. Edvin Tingelstad, and Miss Julia Moe of St. Ansgar, IA.

As children, the Maakestads used to slide downhill on scoop shovels or walk to Osage on a summer’s afternoon to visit friends. Mrs. Odden recalled one day when she took an excursion train to Winona, shortly after the railroad came to Osage.

One time Mrs. Odden’s brother, Sever, was kicked by a horse. No doctor was available, so her sister threaded a needle and sewed up her brother’s injured ear, and, Mrs. Odden said, “She cried as she sewed.”

Mary Kas Arrives Here
on July 4, 1874;
Remembers Streets
Without Sidewalks

In the 1870s, the region around Osage was a great wheat country, according to Miss Mary Kas. Wheat grew where the Catholic church now stands, and on Main street from 13th street east and south to the timber.

Wheat was taken at first to Cresco to be ground into flour. Since the trip was so long, the Rice brothers came to Osage and began a flour mill of their own. According to Miss Kas, they did well, as did Brush with his mill on West Main St.

Miss Kas came to Osage with her mother, stepfather, and younger sister on the 4th of July in 1874. She was 7 years and 7 days old at the time.

They came by train from Algona, Iowa, where the grasshoppers had run them out. They arrived in a passenger coach attached to a freight train. Mis Kas’ stepfather, Mr. Crawford, was a Mitchell county man. His father had lived in Lincoln township in the 1860’s.

No Sidewalks

When they first came to Osage, the town had no sidewalks. On the south side of Ninth and Main was a drug store. Where the library now stands was the Schmedes implement business. West of the library, across the street, was the Deemer House hotel.

At first Miss Kas and the rest of her family rented a home in Osage. When the house was sold, they moved to Miss Kas’ present home. Her stepfather bought the land from Dr. Chase and built a house on it. “Houses weren’t to be had then unless they were built.” Miss Kas said.

When they moved to South Second, most of the land was in timber. Her stepfather grubbed over 15 acres with a pick and hoe. He got $15 an acre for grubbing land for Dr. Chase.

Prairie at First

Miss Kas remembers when Pleasant street was covered with hazel brush. A path led through the block to Oak and Second. Second street had houses scattered on either side. Stumps and brush were growing in the road.

In early Osage, there were two one-room brick schoolhouses, according to Mis Kas. One was on the corner of Twelth and Chase. It was later replaced by a frame building used for the first grade and now used as a duplex. The other brick school was between Second and Third on Pleasant. It was torn down and a home built in its place. A school for first graders used to stand where the new Trinity Lutheran church is now. At one time, a large stone house stood on the corner of Third and Pleasant. One of the oldest buildings in Osage, it was taken down when the railroad came.

Railroad Promised Line

Osage paid the Winona Southwestern railroad a commission of $40,000 to build a connecting line to Mason City, according to Miss Kas. They agreed to build to the Cedar river and then to Mason City. About 12 houses were moved, but the road was never finished.

When Miss Kas was a child, wildflowers and trees of every kind grew in abundance around Osage. Hazel brush and small trees grew southwest of the post office. Some of the heaviest timber in this region grew past Cherry street.

Prairie chickens used to roost on rooftops and quail came right into people’s yards, Mis Kas said. Timber wolves howled at night and were sometimes seen on the edge of town. They would chase sleighs in the winter.

Spelling Bees, Dances

Everyone had lots of fun in those days, Miss Kas recalls. They used to entertain themselves with spelling bees and dances in their homes. Circuses and 4th of July picnics were north of town on the Buckmaster farm.

He had enclosed his land with a stone fence, built by hand without cement or mortar.

Miss Kas’ stepfather subscribed to the newspaper shortly after coming here. He used to read aloud to the family, Miss Kas remembers one continued story he read about wolves and a mean, rich man.

As children, Miss Kas and her sister would make dolls from hickory and butternuts, especially at Christmas time. Their Christmas tree would be cut from around the Cedar river. Then they would string popcorn with which to decorate it.

Did Work Themselves

“We made all our own soap and clothes and did all our own washing and baking,” Miss Kas said. “Red flannels were no joke either. We really wore them.” No one had overshoes when she was a child. When she was 14 years old, a classmate got the first pair of overshoes in town. They had been sent to her by the girl’s uncle in New York, who was a shoe dealer.

Odden Family in Township 102 Years

The history of the Odden family is also the history of Rock township. They have lived in the township since 1854.

Lars Odden and his family came to Mitchell county with the Rev. C. L. Clausen. Lars bought his land from the government for about $1.25 an acre.

He was born in Nodrehaug, Norway on July 3, 1820. He married Olea Teigen, who was born on July 24, 1824 in Adal, Norway.

When Mr. & Mrs. Odden and their daughter, Martha, set sail for America, they had to provide their own food for the long voyage. They owned a huge iron griddle, measuring nearly 30 inches in diameter and weighing 58 pounds. This griddle was used to make the “flod brod” which the Norwegian people loved. They packed it in the bottom of a huge barrel. The food supplies were packed on top of it.

Carried Griddle on Back

After landing in Quebec, Canada, Lars carried the awkward griddle on his back on the long trek from Canada to Wisconsin. They settled in Green county and lived there a year.

The huge griddle is still in the Odden family and is now owned by Lloyd Odden. The Lars Odden’s first home on the land was a dugout. This they used until their log house was completed.

Like many other early settlers, Lars picked his land because of the availability of water. Digging a well was almost impossible, so he looked for a natural water supply.

Water on Land

Rock Creek, running through the north part of this tract of land, had many springs flowing along it’s banks. Water was carried from the creek to the house and after they bought cattle, the animals were pastured along the creek banks.

The springs were useful for food preservation. A box was placed in one of the springs near the house. There, during the warm summer months, the family kept perishable food, such as milk, cream and butter.

Their closest neighbors during the first year in Mitchell county were the Johnsons. This family had settled nearby in 1853.

The first school in the community was at the Lars Odden home. This was in 1855 and the teacher was Elling Meir. The first parochial school was taught in the Odden home by Rev. Clausen.

Brought Own Cattle

Most of the families who came westward with Rev. Clausen brought some cattle with them, enough at least to supply their immediate needs and to give them a start. Most of them settled on 80 to 120 acres of land.

There was plenty of summer food for the livestock. The farmers made hay and stored grain for the winter. The Odden’s land was covered with timber, so much work had to be done before farming could start.

Seven Children

The Lars Odden’s had seven children: Martha, Olaus, Edward, Gabriel, Carl, Ole and Hans. Carl, who was born on October 2, 1864, remained on the family farm. He bought it from his father in 1890. Lars died on May 2, 1893 and his wife Olea, died on January 27, 1895.

When Carl took over the homestead, he bought land across the road from his father’s 120 acres. This 80 acre tract was in Floyd County.

Olea Tiegen Odden (Mrs. Lars Odden) Larger Photo

Carl married Johanna Dammen, who came from Hadeland, Norway. She was born on February 22, 1861. Her parents, Ivers & Siri Dammen, had come to Iowa, settling in Cedar township.

Carl’s children included Lloyd, who lives on the farm now; Olga (Mrs. Elvin Docken); Mabel (Mrs. Lester Anderson); Stella (Mrs. Gilbert Anderson) and Miss Clara Odden, who died in 1920.

Among the familes who helped settle the St. Ansgar community are the Groths, who followed the Rev. C. L. Clausen westward from Wisconsin. Much of the Groth history was written in Norwegian and a great deal of it has been translated by a grandson of the original settlers.

Assor Groth was born in Aal, Hallingdal, Norway on January 21, 1815. The first 37 years of his life were spent in Norway. In 1850, he bought the family home in Norway from his older brother, Kittle, who had emigrated to America.

Two years later, in 1852, Assor sold the old house in Norway and came to America with his parents, sister, and brother. He spent two years in Clayton county, Iowa and then joined the Clausen colony at St. Ansgar. He settled north of St. Ansgar on the Cedar River.

Married in 1854

On September 28, 1854, he married Kirsti Jacobsdatter Asleson. Rev. Clausen performed the ceremony. They had 13 children, six of their daughters died in childhood, two of them in one night from diphtheria.

The family was predominantly Norwegian Lutheran. Assor and his wife belonged to the church established by Rev. Clausen and his band of pioneers.

For 53 years, Assor lived on the old Groth homestead near St. Ansgar, Iowa. He died on October 31, 1907, at the age of 92.

Jacob, one of his sons, was born on the family homestead in 1855. Later he bought the farm from his father. Jacob married Celia Holstenson. Their 12 children were born on the family farm.

Two Still in County

One of their children, Anton Groth, still lives in St. Ansgar. For many years he was a mail carrier on rural routes out of St. Ansgar. His wife is the former Ida Gunderson, also of St. Ansgar.

Mrs. Ragnild (Mikkel) Tollefson, another of Jacob’s children, lives near St. Ansgar. She spends part of her time with her son, Luther and the rest with her daughter, Mrs. Harold Hahn. Luther Tollefson, lives north of St. Ansgar near the Groth homestead. Mrs. Hahn lives in Osage, Iowa.

The third generation to live on the farm was another of Jacob’s sons, Adolph. He married Carrie Tollefson. Adolph and Carrie had two children, Kathryn and Gaylord. Kathryn is a student at Luther college in Decorah, and Gaylord is now in the service. They rent the farm to Bob Nitardy.

Simeon McKinley Gives Name
to Newberg Town,
Also Hires First Teacher
for Log Cabin School

The man who gave the former town of Newberg its name came to Mitchell county on August 18, 1856. That man was Simeon R. McKinley of Newberg, New York.

He bought land bordering the Cedar river from the Rev. C. L. Clausen. Rev. Clausen had arrived two years earlier with his small band of pioneers and had bought the land from the government.

Simeon had married Eliza Updyke before coming to Iowa. They were parents of eight sons and one daughter. Simeon hired the first teacher in Newberg. School was begun in a log shack on the hill east of the river.

Lyman McKinley, one of Simeon’s sons, remained on a portion of the property which his father had bought. The rest was sold. Lyman married Nellie Eveleth of Maine. Their children were born and raised on the property across the river from the present McKinley home site.

Had Four Children

Lyman’s family included three daughters and one son. Ethel (Mrs. R. K. Bliss) taught in Osage for several years before moving to Ames. Harriett (Mrs. George Brown) moved to Minneapolis. Angelina was secretary of the YWCA in Ames for many years. Lyman’s son was Harold L. McKinley of St. Ansgar.

After his parents’ death, Harold bought back much of the land originally purchased by his grandfather. The property where his suburban home is now has been in the family continuously since the original purchase was made by Simeon.

Harold married Josephine Myerly. They had four sons, Philip and David live in St. Ansgar. Hal lives near his parents’ home and Keith is a political science junior at the Univ. of Wisconsin. Keith is the only son not yet affiliated with his father in business in St. Ansgar.

Home by River

The old McKinley home used to be on the west side of the river. It had been built in 1856 by a Mr. Recell, who at one time owned the land. All four of Lyman McKinley’s children and all four of Harold McKinley’s children were born there. The house was town down recently.

A brick home where Lyman and his wife once lived was severely damaged by a storm. It was moved six inches off it’s foundation. The house was torn down in 1920. The present Harold McKinley home was built in 1937. Their son, Hal, built his home nearby in 1951.

Several floods have damaged the McKinley land, but probably the worst one was in 1917. That same year heavy ice formed above the bridge. The steel was bent on the north part of the bridge and the center pier was weakened.

Harold McKinley had four uncles who served in the Civil War. He was in service himself as a young man. His three oldest sons were in WW II, and Keith saw service in the Korean conflict. Harold began his present business as an implement dealer in St. Ansgar in 1938. He started in an old livery barn once used as a Methodist church.

His three oldest sons later joined him in business. Their firm, McKinley & Sons, includes their farming and truck-gardening enterprises as well as their implement business.

The McKinley Hotel [photo missing] was built in Newburg in 1856 by Simeon R. McKinley. He had come to Mitchell county in 1855 and bought land by the Cedar river. He founded the once booming town of Newburg.

July 11, 1923

What was probably the most disastrous hail storm ever to visit Mitchell county laid entirely waste more than six sections of fine farm land in East Lincoln township Saturday evening. The damage probably amounts to $75,000 to $100,000. Every vestige of crop - corn, grain, hay and pasture - is gone.

The storm was a veritable avalanche of hailstones of varying shapes and sizes, accompanied by wind and rain. Hail fell for forty-five minutes. When the storm was over, great windrows of the stones were found - sometimes several feet deep. Twenty four hours later, after the intense heat of Sunday, visitors to the area were still bringing away large pieces of ice as souveneirs.