The Benson Families of Lyon County, Minnesota

HALL BENSON (1878) owns the northeast quarter of section 19 and the west half of the southwest quarter of section 17, Nordland township, and is one of the township's successful farmers. He has lived in Lyon and Lincoln counties nearly all his life.

Mr. Benson is a native of Iceland and was born November 10, 1869. He accompanied his mother, Sigerbjurg Benson, and his stepfather, Sigfinnur Peterson, to America in 1878. The first winter the family lived in Westerheim towTnship and then moved to Lincoln county, where they took a homestead claim. His mother and stepfather now reside in Minneota. On that place Hall lived until 1900; then he bought his Nordland township farm and returned to Lyon county. He raises Poland China hogs and grade cattle.

For four years Mr. Benson was assessor of Nordland township and he has served as clerk of school district No. 2 9. He is a member of the Icelandic Lutheran church and of the Modern Woodmen lodge.

Mr. Benson was married in Lincoln county July 12, 1897, to Ida Johnson. She is also a native of Iceland and is a daughter of John Johnson, of Minneota. Her mother is dead. Seven children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Benson. They are Bjorn M., Caroline, George, Vivian, Harold, Joseph and Francis D.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

GEORGE BENSON (1894) is manager of the Western elevator and a dealer in implements at Minneota. He is a native of Iceland and was born July 10, 1872, the son of Bjorn (Hallason) and Sigurbjorg (Sigurdardottir) Benson. The father died in 1874; the mother resides in Minneota. There are five children: Hall, of Lyon county; George, of this sketch; Frank Peterson, of North Dakota; J. S. Peterson, a mining engineer of Guayaquil, Ecuador, South America; S. H. Peterson, a teacher of Corvallis, Oregon.

George came to America when six years of age and settled in Lincoln county, where his step-father homesteaded land. He resided there sixteen years and then moved to Minneota, where he has since lived. The first business our subject engaged in was d paying. He then spent four years in the real estate business with the Globe Land and Loan Company. After that he clerked in the big store of Anderson & Company.

Some time later our subject engaged in managing the grain elevator and machinery business of the Mutual Elevator Company for one year. He then purchased the machinery end of the business and in 1910 sold a half interest to J. H. Jonathan, the firm name now being Benson & Jonathan. They handle a full line of farm machinery and wagons. In 1910 Mr. Benson entered the employ of the Western Elevator Company as buyer at Minneota and has held that position since. The Western elevator was built about twenty years ago by the Western Elevator Company. The main office of the company is at Winona.

Mr. Benson is a member of the Modern Woodmen lodge. He held the office of constable six years and was on the police force one year. He has been a member of the Village Council the past three years.

Mr. Benson was married in Minneota September 30, 1906, to Ella Frost, a native of Minneota. They are the parents of two children. Donald George and Bjorn Frost.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HANS BENSON (1882) is one of the big farmers of Shelburne township, where he has had his home for the past thirty years. The home place is the southwest quarter of section 5 and he also owns the northwest quarter of 9, the northwest quarter of 7, and the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of 6, making a farm of 520 acres. The place is well improved and Mr. Benson has one of the finest homes in the township.

Our subject was born in Naes, Norway, October 13, 1846, a son of Brnt and Rognlie (Halborson) Benson. He attended the common schools of his native land until fourteen years of age, and thereafter until he was twenty-one years old he worked on the farm for his father. Mr. Benson came to America in the spring of 1868 and during the next three years worked at various occupations at La Crosse, Wisconsin. He moved to Fillmore county, Minnesota, in 1871, where he worked at farm labor until coming to Lyon county in the spring of 1882.

When he arrived in Lyon county Mr. Benson had only $320. To meet expenses he worked the first year as a section hand on the railroad between Tyler and Burchard. He experienced trying times in getting a start, but persevered and came upon more prosperous times. He purchased eighty acres of his present farm from the railroad company upon his arrival and from time to time added to his landed possessions until he now owns nearly a section of land.

Mr. Benson is a stockholder of the State Bank of Florence. He is a member of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Florence and was formerly a trustee of the same. For three years he was a director of his school district and has several times served as road overseer.

The marriage of Mr. Benson to Christine Anderson occurred in Fillmore county, Minnesota, in 1883. Mrs. Benson was born in Norway. They are the parents of the following children: Bert, Aletta (Mrs. John Anderson), of Tyler; Randa (Mrs. Victor Anderson), of Florence; Clara, Adolph, Lena, Emma, Henry and Elmer.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.

HENRY H. BENSON (1884) is the efficient assistant cashier of the State Bank of Florence. He is a native of Lyon county and was born in Shelburne township September 17, 1884, the son of Hans and Christina (Christianson) Benson, who came from Norway to Lyon county in the early seventies and settled in Shelburne township, where they still reside.

As printed in the source¹. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.