Casper Lein

As printed in 1916

CASPER LEIN.

few men 111 the community life of Oscar township, this county, have taken a more active part in the civic affairs of that community than has Casper Lein, a well-known and prosperous retired farmer of that section of the county, who since 1871 has been a resident of Otter Tail county. Successful in hi- Farming ventures, Mr. Lein also has been prominently connected with other enterprises of a profitable character and is regarded as one of the most substantial men in his community. Eor some years he has been living a life of retirement from the active duties of the farm, his broad acres long ago having been turned over to his sturdy sons and he is now "taking life easy."

[This passage is too damaged in the scanned book to reproduce. See the original book.]

Reared and educated in hinative country, Casper Lein did not.-me to America until he was twenty-six years of age. It was in [868 that he lam led in Quebec, shortly thereafter entering the United States, proceeding to Iowa, where for about two years he remained in Winneshiek county, engaged as a farm laborer. At the end of that time he decided to homestead a farm in Minnesota and with that end in view came to Otter Tail count\. the long journey being made by ox-team. Arriving in this county, he pre-empted one hundred and sixty-three acres in ( )scar township and proceeded to make a home for himself and his wife, he having married in Iowa, in [869, Christine Moe, who also was born in Norway, and who through all their years of activity in this county has proved a competent and valuable helpmate to him. From the very start, Casper Lein prospered and as he became financially able added from time to tune to his land holdings until at one time he was the owner of four hundred acres of choice land surrounding his home. As he retired from the active life of the farm. however, he. disposed of a part of this and turned the remainder over to his children, who are now managing the estate, he making his home with his son, Oscar, on the old home place.

To Casper and Christine (Moe) I. em nine children have been horn, Olaf, John. Nicoline, Bernard, Sophia. Carl, Oscar. Matilda and Attin. Mr. and Mr>. Lein are active and prominent members of the Lutheran church m their neighbors 1, of which Mr. Lein has been the treasurer for the past thirty-four years, and their children were brought up to the faithful observance of the tenets of that faith. Active in all neighborhood good works. Mr. and Mrs. Lein long have been held in the warmest esteem throughout that pari of the county and no one thereabout has more friends than have they.

For years Casper Lein has served the public faithfully and well as a justice of the peace in Oscar township and since 1885 has been clerk of the school district. From [873 to [906 he served as clerk of the township and for thirty-eight years was the township assessor. He was postmaster from [900 to [906, at Oscar. During several decades Ikserved the government as a collector of census statistics and also assisted several times in taking the census of the state of Minnesota. For twelve years he was the secretary-treasurer of the Oscar Township Farmers Mutual Insurance Association and is still serving as one of the directors of that excellent organization. lie also is a stockholder 111 the Carlisle Elevator Company and owns a goodsized block of stock 111 the Carlisle Hank as well as in the Scandinavian Bank of Fergus Falls. The civic distinctions which have come to Mr. Lein during his long and busy life in this county are ample evidences of the regard in which he is held generally in the community and his friends very properly are proud of the honors which have been bestowed upon him.

As printed in History of Otter Tail County, Minnesota : its people, industries, and institutions : with biographical sketches of representative citizens and genealogical records of many of the old families (1916). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.