PETER LINDQUIST

a pioneer

In Roseland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota.

Who filed on a homestead in Section 24, Township 117, Range 35 on November 19, 1869

Compiled by: Ruth E. McLay, 1970

Titles and html formatting by Gary Gauer, 2018

Notes by Gary:

PETER LINDQUIST

THE FATHER'S OR THE "LIND" SIDE OF THE FAMILY

SWEDEN

Peter Lindquist was born in SIFFERBO, Gagnef Socken, Dalarna, Sweden, on January 19, 1851. His father, Lind Olof Anderson, died March 22, 1856, probably in his forties, leaving his wife with six small children. His mother, Anna Persdotter, died 1893, close to being a hundred years old. Peter corresponded with her all his life and sent her money. In Sweden, Peter's name was Lind Per Olson, for sons added -son to their father's first name to make their last name. The "Lind" in his name was used by his father's family to set it apart from other families, since names were so similar and other families did likewise.

Peter Lindquist

In Sweden, Peter became an apprentice to a shoemaker to learn to make shoes and in summer was sent about the countryside to peddle shoes.

To America

In 1868, the three youngest boys, Olof, 25, Erik, 22, and Peter, 17, set out for America, and landed in New York on July 7, 1868. They came on the line, "City of Boston", a ship that two years later, on its trip back to Liverpool, disappeared without a trace with 177 on board.

Three cousins of the family designated "Quist" also came at that time and when the immigration officials asked the youths their names, the boys combined their family designation names of "Lind" and "Quist" into "Lindquist" and all six were then known by the name of Lindquist.

A railroad was being built through Illinois at the time and the boys went there to work on the railroad, arriving at Lamont. From there they went to Howard Lake, Minnesota, and to Mendota, Minnesota, and

HOMESTEAD

then went on to file on homesteads in Roseland Township, then known as Whitefield Township. Two homesteads lay side by side and Olof and Peter filed on those and Erik filed on one to the south bordering on the county line. In March, 1869, Peter filed his claim in Section 24 and built a log cabin. Indians were still living on the island of Grove Lake, only a half mile away at the time and for several more years (this lake has by now been drained). The Indians often came to the cabin to beg for sugar and flour even after mother came there to live after they were married.

Kandiyohi County was set up in 1870 and local governments arranged. The Federal Census of 1870 gave Kandiyohi a population of 1760 persons: 37 English; 35 Irish; 1 Scotch; 13 Germans; 2 Austrians; 28 Danes; and 967 Swedes and Norwegians. In 1871 the county seat was moved from Kandiyohi Station to Willmar where it has remained, but only after a bitter contest. The Great Blizzard, still remembered, occurred on January 7 - 9, 1873. The grasshopper plagues took place in 1876 and 1877.

MARRIAGE

Peter was married on March 27, 1873, to Brita Olsdotter. (See THE MOTHER'S OR THE LARSVED SIDE OF THE FAMILY).

Note from Gary: See her story with Larsved Olof Mattson pages.

Brita Olson Lindquist

I remember my mother Brita telling about the huge swarms of grasshoppers that consumed everything in their path and how one could hear them chomping. They were like clouds in the sky. One day they all rose up in dense clouds and moved off to the east and were never seen again!

Peter's and Brita's first child, Anna Josephine, born April 1, 1874, was the first white girl born in the township, then known as Whitefield, an area from which Roseland was later formed. William, the son of Olof Lindquist was the first white boy born in this township, on March 12, 1871.

Roseland

When Whitefield was broken up and Roseland formed, Peter suggested the name of "Roseland" and it was voted in as the name. He loved to read and had read about a place by that name and it appealed to him for he felt this area that they lived in was a land of roses, for there were so many wild roses growing in the vicinity.

My father, Peter Lindquist, kept a diary throughout the years. It was written in Swedish, a language which I fortunately am able to read. To it I owe definite information about events and dates. My older sisters and brothers also told many things.

Father's first team of horses was bought by muskrat skins, about a double wagon box full, which he had trapped during the winter. On November 3, 1878, he writes that he went to Willmar and sold butter ad bought a sewing machine. It was a Singer, with a box top. It was in our storeroom when I was a little girl. Mother told about how one day when she was sewing in the log cabin, she looked up at the wall in front of her and saw a snake's head projecting out of the crack between the logs.

On September 29, 1877, a roaring prairie fire swept over the area. They had plowed around the buildings before as a precaution and then they went out with wet grain sacks and beat out the fires started by sparks. On September 13, 1881, little four year old Oscar set fire to the barn while playing with fire (would it be flint or matches?) and the hay burned, too, an estimated loss of $150.00, quite an· item in those days.

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 2

NEW HOUSE

On December 7, 1879, father began hauling stones for a new house. All materials had to be hauled from town (Willmar, 16 miles away and Olivia, 10 miles away), and this was to be a large house with eight rooms in a sort of large square box shape and a large summer kitchen room attached on the east, about 16 by 24 or more. All the rooms were large. It had a cellar with stone walls and a dirt floor (I think), not very large. It was constructed a quarter of a mile to the west of the log cabin site, and closer to the main road between Willmar and Olivia. Other farm buildings had to be built, such as a barn, a granary, machine shed, and wood shed. But finally, in the middle of May, 1885, when brother Fred was two weeks old, sister Anna proudly carried him over as they moved into the new house.

When they were settled into their new home father arranged for a photographer to come out and take a picture of the entire place. The photo is carefully arranged to show all the buildings and even the hired man holding a team of horses in the background. The family stands at intervals in front of the house, father, mother, Anna, Selma, Alma, Emeline, Oscar, and Albert. Mother holds baby Fred.

In 1889, an upstairs section was built over the large summer kitchen adding four rooms and a stairway in the back part of the house. It was intended for the hired help. In 1905 or 1906, the low gable-roofed cattle barn was replaced by a large hip-roofed barn that had hay slings, new type stanchions, etc. In a year or two, another big barn was built to the west side of the place, for horses only, about 12 or 16 or so.

Nothing remained where the log cabins had been but the grove, which we called the "OLD GROVE" and among the trees were wild red raspberries, black raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, chokecherries, and plums. It was a jungle of weeds, such as burdocks, nettles, etc. The birds scolded loudly to have their retreat invaded and if you were very quiet you might see rabbits, squirrels, or possibly a badger or fox. It was a sort of Disneyland to a child! In my day, too, the orchards and groves-around the new home place were quite grown up and exciting to explore. Since then no apples nor plums have ever tasted so good, and such a variety, too. And the hay field west of the place over the road had large patches of wild strawberries, which at times I didn't appreciate because mother made me pick gallon pails full of the berries for the dinner table. So delicious!

THE FARM PLACE

Also in my day, there were a slat-sided building for storing corn, a chicken coop, a hog house, a shed housing the thresh machine, three machine sheds, and a feed grinding shed. A tall wooden windmill marked the place from a distance. As I remember it, it was a very busy, bustling place.

Above photo of the Peter Lindquist farm was found in the 1905 "Illustrated History of Kandiyohi County"

However, when father filed on his claim on March 26, 1869, and his brother, Olof filed on one next to it, the rest of the land were railroad, school, state, or internal improvement lands. Four sections were bought by the Illinois Industrial University and some by Cornell University. From time to time, father added to his homestead. He filed a tree claim, and bought land from these groups as they became available. By my day the farm had grown to some l 025 acres.

I remember the long table in the big summer kitchen where there would be some eight or ten places set. For there were several hired men besides my father and a brother or two. In summer, the work went on in two places. Grain was "stacked",

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 3

the grain bundles pitched into the hay wagons from the grain shocks and then hauled to a central place where the bundles were again pitched to a man laying "stack". He caught the bundles and set them into place, making a mushroom shaped stack, narrow at the bottom, and cone shaped toward the top, so that it would shed rain and heat properly. My father was an expert layer of stacks and none disintegrated as the poorly laid ones often did. lt required a man to pitch bundles from the field to the wagon, a man on the wagon and two wagons for each stack made. So there were four men besides the man who laid stack at each place where a stack was constructed. So the minimum was ten men. Father drove in to town and picked up the extra help when stacking began.

The number of men working on the place varied with the season, the least in winter. Then the summer kitchen was closed off and the smaller kitchen in the main house used, and six was the average number set in the dining-room.

At threshing time in the fall, two tables were placed end to end and places set for perhaps 16 to 20 men. They had to be bedded also, so the hired men's upstairs held five beds in the two bedrooms and one in the hall. The overflow slept in the haymow on straw filled ticks.

In the afternoon, there was always a lunch to be brought to the workers. For plowing or haying, etc., my sister and I would carry pails of coffee and sandwiches and cake to wherever they worked. For threshers, big clothes baskets of goodies and big pots of coffee were sent out on the grain hauling wagons.

LAND OF OPPORTUNITY

As the farm grew from its small beginnings, it produced more both in variety and amount. New ways, new ideas, and new machines were introduced, the seeder, the gang plow, the com cultivator, the thresh machine, etc. He bought his first seeder in 1878 and later was the first to have a self-binder in the township. In 1885, father was the first to plant flax in Kandiyohi County. (Mrs. Algot Freeberg read this fact at the Minnesota Centennials State Fair in 1949!) That same year, he raised 812 bushels of wheat and ten years later had increased the harvest to 3,366 bushels of wheat. The top year was 1898, when the yield was 4,155 bushels of wheat. In 1895, also 1,712 bushels of oats and 796 bushels of flax. In 1898, the first year that he raised corn, 15 acres yielded 750 bushels, the best yield he ever had per acre.

There were few taxes then, and every man was a capitalist for it was possible to save and invest his profits and to expand. The promise of America as a place to get ahead for those who worked hard and saved and invested wisely was fulfilled. The farm weathered depressions and grew and prospered. There were ten children (two didn't grow up) and they learned how to work and to get along on their own. It was truly a "land of opportunity" for that family. When he died in 1912, forty-five years after he had arrived as a penniless immigrant, he was able to leave his family an estate of roughly sixty to seventy thousand dollars. The children inherited far more than that for they had learned to work, to plan, to rely on themselves, to respect the flag; in short, to be good citizens.

The farm was located in school district number 64 and the schoolhouse two miles from home, for most of this period. The only time father came to get us was if there was a very bad blizzard. And most of us missed few days of school. Father

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 4

was on the school board, a treasurer in my day, for when teacher's payday came I carried the check to school. He had been baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran church in Sweden, the extent of his formal education. But he had learned to speak and write English after he came to America and could read it readily. We had many newspapers and magazines and he was a great reader.

SETTLERS

The early settlers in this area formed three ethnic groups. The eastern half of Roseland Township and the township of Lake Lillian which adjoined to the east had a Swedish settlement. The western half of the township of Roseland had a Holland Dutch group. And bordering on the south, in Renville County, and roughly edging into the southern border of Kandiyohi County was a German group. These groups had little to do with each other although when necessary business arose such as township government, they worked in harmony. The school which I attended, Dist. 64, had about half Swedish and half German pupils in my day and one Bohemian boy. The Dutch had a school farther west and we never saw them. The Swedish group extended to the north as far as Lake Wagonga. The Swedes in the north part had come from the south part of Sweden to a large extent, called Skane. Those in the south where I lived were from an area farther north in Sweden called Dalarna. There was some tendency for each of these groups to keep to themselves but there was friendly cooperation on mutual matters. Another ethnic group, the Norwegians, lived in East Lake Lillian.

CHURCHES

Most of the settlers came into this area in 1867 to 1870, and in 1870, a group of Swedish settlers met in the township of Whitefield to establish a Christian Congregation and secure the services of a minister in regular visits. Among them was Peter Lindquist and his brother, Olof (Ole) Lindquist and wife. A site was selected for the church and cemetery and a committee appointed to contact the railroad about securing the rights to the land. Pastor P. Beckman was to visit this congregation once a month, called the Svea Evangelical Lutheran Church, with a constitution prepared by the Augustana Synod. There were a little over a hundred members.

On March 8, I 875, through the efforts of Rev. P. Beckman and Rev. Louis Johnson of the Svea congregation another congregation called Christine was organized and a constitution adopted in the township of Lake Lillian. Rev. Louis Johnson was to visit twice a month. Among members contributing toward a church building in 1878 were father's brothers, Eric and Ole (Olof). The church was dedicated November 21, 1889, with 148 members. Later Svea and Christine shared minister and Rev. J. 0. Lundberg was in charge until 1904. Peter was a Trustee from 1875 to 1882. And our family burial plot was located in this churchyard. In it are buried Peter, Brita his wife, and two children: Alma, aged 9, and Walter, aged one day. In it are also Brita's father, Larsved Olof Mattson and wife, Brita, and mother's sister Anna's daughter, Lina. (It is interesting that Lake Lillian was named for Mrs. Lillian Whitefield who accompanied the first exploring party to the Kandiyohi lakes area in 1856.) Peter and Brita had ten children and eight grew up and married, three living in the home area, three in Whitefield, one in the State of Washington and.me (the roving teacher). Because the Christine congregation often had no minister, many of the children were baptized and confirmed in the Svea church. Brita, Mrs. Peter Lindquist, was also confirmed there,

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 5

for she was only fourteen when she arrived in America. Peter was a Trustee of the Christine Church 1875 - 1882, and his brother Eric also served as Trustee at times. On January 21, 1904, Svea and Christine dissolved their union and Christine was on its own. Because of the distance and the poor roads to Christine from our home we did not attend regularly. At that time in that area, many times itinerant preachers would hold services in the schoolhouse or in the small church that was located a few miles from our farm, It was known as Charles Eastman's church and many of our relatives are buried in its churchyard. Whenever there were religious services held in the nearby area members of our family would attend. Sometimes even Sunday school was held which we children attended whenever held. Christine was about ten miles away and Svea six. When my three oldest sisters married and moved to the Svea area to live they became members of that church. Oscar was buried from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Olivia and Fred belonged to the Cross of Calvary Lutheran Church in Olivia. Albert died in Cheney, Washington, and Edith belonged to the Arndahl Lutheran Church, and Ruth to the Rock Prairie United Presbyterian Church near Janesville. The Arndahl church is south of Grove City, Minnesota.


TOWNSHIP

In March, 1889, the commissioners petitioned to set Roseland off as a separate township from Whitefield was granted and officers were selected: Peter Lindquist as Assessor, S. Dykema and A. Borg as Justices. These names show the cooperation between the Dutch in the western part of the township and the Swedes in the eastern part. Peter continued as chairman in 1891 through 1894. In 1890 he was supervisor and from 1890 on a Treasurer.

The first settler in our home area from Gagnef, Sweden, was H.P. Olson in 1867. He lost no time in informing his relatives and friends in Sweden about the free homes in Minnesota and the many advantages. The next to arrive was R. M. Mattson in the fall of 1868. He, too, wrote back and those letters were passed from one to another till often they were worn out, or copied. The years I 868 and 1869 had the greatest migration.

In my day father was still supervisor of the township and was in charge of working out the poll tax. The men would gather under the supervisor on the road and work on improving the road or repair it. One time when father gave instructions as to what to do, one of the neighbors objected to the method and when father did not change, this man threatened to "knock his brains out" with his shovel. I remember it for I was frightened.

SCHOOL

On January 14, 1875, a petition at Lake Lillian requested the formation of a new school district. Among others signing were: Ole Lindquist and Peter Lindquist. However, on October 4, 1873, a new district, later to become No. 64, was granted for the west half of Lake Lillian Township. Peter Lindquist was elected director and Ole a treasurer. The first school was held in the homes and Ocelia Knutson was the first teacher. In.1881 the-school was moved to Sec. 19 and in 1891 moved to Sec. 25. A library was purchased in 1889, and the free textbook system set up in 1894. Peter was a director from 1873 to 1874, and a treasurer 1884 to 1893 and from 1899 on till his death. His brother Ole was treasurer 1873 - 1884 and 1893 - 1899.

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 6

In my day the first few years I had two miles to school then it was moved one mile west and was only one mile south of our home. In spite of its being a rural school I have never felt that it detracted in any way from my progress in becoming a high school teacher. It provided a good, sound foundation. This in spite of the fact that there were often forty or more pupils for the one teacher, and in spite of difficulties with discipline of the big boys who came in the winter when there was no farm work and were not there to learn. A frightening experience: One of those big boys one day threatened to strike the teacher with a stick of stove wood when she asked him to not break a school rule.

GROVE LAKE

We lived near a reedy lake and on October 12, 1897, Public Ditch No. 8 was organized and it drained from Grove Lake going west so that it passed about a quarter of a mile north of our house. My brothers made a willow withe fish trap and placed it in this ditch where father had a bridge crossing it. We were always supplied with fresh fish and also salt fish for our meals. This was welcome in an age when there was no refrigeration. The only way to cool food was to hang a pail with butter in it down the well shaft, or place food down in the dark but cooler cellar. Homemade root beer was also hung in the well, and so delicious on a hot day. Meat was the big problem, relying on salt pork, or summer sausage, or a freshly killed chicken or lamb. In winter no problem - it was left out on the table in the summer kitchen when butchered and allowed to freeze solid. Contracts for this Ditch No. 8 was let to the farmers living on it and Peter had 14 stations and $164.22

Grove Lake was also a wonderful place for trapping and my brothers always had a large catch every winter: mink, muskrat, skunk, weasel, or fox. The cut boards the size of the animals and stretched the skins over these to dry. One room upstairs allotted to this.

Also, in the meadows around this lake were found arrow heads and bison bones. Also, a stone hammer or club was found by father. It had rounded ends and a groove in the middle for the handle. We had a kitchen table drawer full of arrow heads.

MAIL

Before Rural Free Delivery of mail, established on June 4, 1900, the post office in Olivia sent the mail for a certain district out to a farm centrally located, and folks would get their mail from that place, by going there to pick it up. From 1891 to 1899, mail in our area was distributed at the Olof Lindquist farm. At Olof's death, Peter Lindquist took the task over and the sub-post office was set up in our house. A set of cubby holes was attached to the wall next to father's desk in the dining room. Mail was sorted into these. Stamps were sold also. My sisters had covered the cubby-hole box and the cubby holes with the same green figured wall paper that covered the dining-room walls. By 1902, the rural route from Olivia was finally set up and this post office discontinued. This was Route No. 2. Route 1 served the Dutch in western Roseland.

TIMBER PLANTED

Under an act of Congress approved March 13, 1874, entitled "An Act to encourage the growth of timber on western prairies", Peter applied and was accepted, securing the title to Lots l and 2 of township 117, range 5, section 24, with a total of 62 acres of which five were planted to timber: cotton wood, white ash

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 7

and box elder, 2700 trees to each acre, so that on July 9th, 1887, when final approval was given it was estimated more than 4700 trees survived. This grove was located 1/2 mile north of the home.

This grove was near the shore of Grove Lake and Olof and Peter acquired the land between and also some lots on the island. Every spring, father rowed a flock of sheep over to the island for the summer grazing and every Sunday rowed over with salt for them.


THRESHING

The first grain grown by Peter and Olaf had to be hauled to Greenleaf on Green Lake or to Beaver Falls to be ground. Larsved Olaf Mattson of Lake Lillian was the first to reap grain by machine. He was associated with Peter in owning a threshing machine also. On September 26, 1901, the Lindquist Threshing Company lost a separator that was new and a quantity of wheat in a fire while threshing at A Swedins. In my day, father owned the threshing outfit and the engine, separator and water wagon were kept in a metal sided shed in one of our groves. The pipes in the steam engines had to be replaced each season and in the summers my brothers would take out the old and put in the new. Brother Albert was especially good at that.

My brother Fred had several boxes containing the papers from father. Among those I found some of his diaries, those from June, 1877, to May 25, 1882. On July 27, 1877, he writes, "No grasshoppers here." August 27th, 1877, "Finished harvesting", and on September 6th, records 3 54 bushels of wheat and 309 bushels of oats as the amount for the year. The price when sold was 90 cents per bushel. The next year the crop amounted to 570 bu. wheat and 540 bu. oats - but whether the increase was from Jack of grasshoppers or increased acreage he doesn't state. He did say he bought a McCormick reaper in July of 1878. That same fall he sold two cows for $33.00 for the two. And paid a neighbor boy $1.25 per acre for plowing. January 25, 1879, he sold potatoes for 25 cents per bushel. The winter of 1878 and 1879 was very cold but with very little snow and the following summer was very dry. -On August 18, 1879, Peter and John Erickson ordered a threshing machine in Willmar and paid down $43.00 on it. May 25, 1882, he planted com, and said that they had had a nice winter but a rainy spring. I know he kept a diary even in my day. I wonder what became of the rest.

DALARNA

Both mother and father were from the Dalarna area in Sweden. This area is northwest of Stockholm, toward the interior, and is called on the modem maps "Kopparberg", which means "copper mountain". It was a mining region in early times and I remember mother speaking of mines. The local farmers made charcoal to sell in the winter and I presume to the mine owners. It is likely due to the mines that in early day’s outsiders came into that area. Harold Randmark, our cousin, after a visit to Sweden in recent times told me this: "In early days, foreigners came to Dalarna to work in and to direct the work in the mines. Walloons came direct from Denmark and Holland to this area and in early times there was a Scotch village there. Larsved Olof Olson (my mother's father) was of Walloon blood and dark haired and brown eyed. Peter Lindquist had coal black hair but blue eyes. His eldest daughter, Anna} had black hair like his but brown eyes." My husband's cousin here, Archie Reid, once told me that when the Huguenots were driven out

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 8

of France many emigrated to this mining area in Sweden. The early history of that region would make a fascinating study.


DESCRIPTION

Peter Lindquist was a tall, strongly-built man, about six feet tall, of sound constitution and excellent health who could outwork and outlast anyone on the place. He had coal black hair with scarcely a white hair in it at the time of his death. His eyes were direct and piercing and in the latter part of his life he wore a full beard, always neatly trimmed. This gave him, an air of dignity which along with the rest of his appearance commanded respect, not only from his children but also from the many hired men. He had a good sense of humor and a quick wit and was kindly in nature. He tucked me under his left arm when he carried a sack of feed, saying it balanced his load, and whenever he worked about the place, I tagged along behind him. I was his official errand boy, running to get this or that for him.

He didn't sleep well and was always the last to bed and the first up, an hour or two before the rest. He made himself a cup of coffee and read. I remember him as always reading except in the long winter evenings when the whole family would gather around the dining-room table and play Flinch or Pit, dominoes, etc. We all liked to read and there were many newspapers and magazines, even one Swedish newspaper. The top shelf in his desk held a collection of fiction, the 'only title I can recall, "Samantha at Saratoga", which 1 thought very funny.

One of the ladies' magazines, The Delineator or The Ladies Home Journal had a course in cutting patterns that my elder sisters sent for and learned to use, the result of which was a frenzy of sewing and very stylish clothes for them so that they were "belles" of the area and led to a large gathering of young folks at our home every Sunday afternoon, much going on, baseball, bicycle riding, drop the handkerchief and other games, croquet, etc. This was in 1903 to 1905 or so.

Father had his own teeth always, never had a dentist or doctor in his life. Indigestion in the spring of 1912 caused him accompanied by son Oscar to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where they diagnosed cancer of the stomach. He then rented the farm to Oscar and Fred and moved upstairs where the four rooms over the main part of the house were made into an apartment. One Sunday in July, he had his first and only ride in an automobile for the boys were tinkering with a new car that they had just bought, driving round and round our large yard.

DEATH

He passed away on July 21, 1912, and the funeral on the 25th, the services conducted in the house. He was buried in the family lot on the Christina Church yard.

Documents

Some interesting documents that I copied about 1955 from the originals that brother Fred had at that time:

I. Citizenship papers:

In District Court, Douglas County, 7th Judicial District, Application -- renouncing allegiance to King of Norway and Sweden, J.H. Van Dyke, Clerk of Court, by Henry Cook, Deputy. Application made, March 8, 1869. Arrival in U.S. July 8, 1868.

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 9

Certificate of Citizenship dated March 23, 1875. Having fulfilled requirements, etc. -- Kandiyohi County District Court. (Seal) July 23, 1875,

J. W. Landquist, Clerk, Declaring Peter Lindquist a Citizen.

II. Timber Culture

application, made by Peter Lindquist on March 15, 1878, a fee of$14.00, for Lots 1 & 2, Sec. 24, Twsp. 117, Range 35, under an Act of Congress approved March 13, 1874, entitled, "An Act to encourage the growth of timber on western prairies."

Timber-Culture Entry, Final Affidavit, on July 9th, 1887, No. 980, at Benson, Minn., Lots l & " (sic), comprising 62 acres and five acres planted to trees, cottonwood, white ash & box elder, between 2700 minimum and 4700 trees. Signed by Peter Lindquist ( own hand) and two papers of testimony of witnesses, Olof Lindquist and Andrew Tatting, stating the trees were as claimed planted and growing well. Also a paper of testimony of claimant, Peter himself.

Ill. Homestead:

U.S. Land Office, Litchfield, Minn., Dec. 16, 1874.

Sir: Your homestead entry No. 4104, Sec.24, T.117, R.35, was made Nov. 19, 1869 and the five years during which residence and cultivation were required by law expired Nov. 19, 1874. The law provides that patent shall issue upon the presentation of paper proof of residence and cultivation within two years after the expiration of the five years referred to. If this final proof is not presented within the time prescribed, this Office will be warranted in treating the entry as voluntarily abandoned on your part. Signed: J. C. Braden, Registrar and W. H. Greenleaf, Receiver. To: Peter Lindquist, Lake Lillian, Kandiyohi County, Minn.

IV. Marriage Certificate

: (written by hand in purple ink) STATE OF: MINNESOTA

COUNTY OF KANDIYOHI

This is to certify that on the 27 day of March 1873, I, the undersigned, a Justice of the Peace, did join in the holy bonds of matrimony according to the laws of this state Peter Lindquist of the County of Kandiyohi and Berta Oleson of the same county.

John Moore, Justice of the Peace.


V. Will:

Filed Sept. 3, 1912, Ida A Sanderson, Clerk of Probate.

Filed March 27, 1913, at 9:00 a.m., E. F. Ehlinger, County Clerk, Calhoun Co., Texas.

Filed Sept. 30, 1913, and recorded together with the will attached in Book C of Records of Wills, pages 4 & 5. Ida A. Sanderson, Clerk of Probate.

I, Peter Lindquist, of the town of Roseland in the Co. of Kandiyohi, state of Minnesota, being of legal age and of sound mind and memory, do make, publish and declare this to be my last will and testament; and do hereby revoke all prior wills made by me.

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First: I will and direct that the expenses of my burial and all my just debts be first paid out of my estate.

Second: I give, devise and bequeath to my beloved wife Brita Lindquist all my estate, real and personal, and mixed, and all my property of every nature and description, to have and to hold for and during her natural life.

Third: After the death of my said wife, I give, devise and bequeath all my said estate and property to my beloved children, viz.: Anna Josephine Nelson, Selma Strandberg, Oscar Lindquist, Lena Bjelkengren, Albert Lindquist, Frederick Lindquist, Edith Olson and Ruth Lindquist, share and share alike, to them and their heirs forever.

Fourth: In case either of my said children shall be deceased before the death of my said wife, then and in that event it is my will that the child or children of such deceased child or children shall inherit the share of such deceased child or children, by right of representation.

Lastly: I hereby constitute and appoint Ole Blomquist of the town of Roseland and in said Kandiyohi County to be the executor of this my last will and testament. In witness thereof! have hereunto subscribed my hand, affixed my seal, and declared this to be my last will and testament in the presence of the witnesses who have subscribed their names hereto at my request and in my presence this 13th day of July 1912.

Peter Lindquist (Seal)

The foregoing instrument, consisting of one sheet of paper, was on this 13th day of July 1912 exhibited to us by the above named Peter Lindquist, declared him to be his last will and testament, signed by him in our presence and by us subscribed in his presence, and in the presence of each other at his request as witnesses thereto. N. 0. Nelson, Willmar, Minn., and John Feig, Willmar, Minn.

VI. No papers available

on the 80 acres owned by Peter Lindquist in Calhoun County, Texas.

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 11

FATHER'S PARENTS AND THEIR FAMILY:

Lind Olof Anderson Sweden 1810 ? - 3/11/1856

Anna Persdotter, wife Sweden 1806 ? - 8/5/1903

Children:

Children:

1. Larssved Brita Olsdotter or

Mrs. Peter Lindquist

U.S.

3/4/1855 - 12/20/1914

2. Larssved Anna Olsdotter or

Mrs. John Erickson

U.S.

9/13/1858 - 10/2/1892

3. Larssved Olof Olson or

Olof Olson, Dassel

U.S.

1/14/1860 - 8/ /1944

4. Ida Josephine,

born U.S

6/22/1871 - 10/28/1936

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 12

CHILDREN OF PETER & BRITA LINDQUIST:

1. Anna Josephine, Mrs. C. Ed. Nelson
4/1/1874 11/6/1951
2. Selma, Mrs. Peter Strandberg
9/27/1875 4/4/1913
3. Oscar Axel
5/19/1877 8/29/1936
4. Emeline, Mrs. Henry Bjelkengren
6/3/1879 5/28/1926
5. Alma
10/30/1880 5/5/1889
6. Albert Theodore
7/29/1882 6/13/1964
7. Fredrick August
5/1/1885 1/12/1966
8. Edith Theodosia, Mrs. F. Oscar Olson
12/4/1889 11/28/1964
9. Walter Eugene
12/18/1895 12/19/1895
10. Ruth Olga Eugenia, Mrs. J. Gordon McLay *
4 /24/1899 9/1/1989

* author of this story

As of now, 1970, Peter and Brita Lindquist have, as descendants:

BIBLIOGRAPHY

:

1. Kandiyohi County History, circa 1905?

2. Svea Evangelical Lutheran Church, 90th Anniversary, 1870-1960, a booklet.

3. Legal Papers and Documents of the Peter Lindquist family.

4. Recollections of relatives, friends, and "Old Timers".

5. Material gathered and saved through many years by Ruth E. McLay.

6. Moje, by Olof Montelius, two books, pub. in 1962 & 1965.

7. Gagnef och Mockfjard, a history, pub. in 1952.

PETER LINDQUIST Pioneers of Kandiyohi County, Minnesota • 13