John E. Berg

As printed in 1912

JOHN E. BERG (1892), farmer of Westerheim township, was born in Norway December 19, 18 69. His mother died in the old country when he was five years old and his father, Erick Haug, died in Rock county, Minnesota, in 1883, soon after his arrival to the New World.

When John Berg was eleven years of age he came to America and joined his father in Rock county. The father had come the year before and taken a homestead in Rose Dell township, of that county. After his father's death John was obliged to make his own way in the world, although he was but a boy in his early teens. Until eighteen years of age he worked on farms in Rock county, and then he learned the miller's trade, working three and one-half years in the mill at Luverne.

At Slayton Mr. Berg resided a year, working in the mill and at carpenter work. The next nine months were passed working in a mill at Winnebago City, and then he located in Minneota and was employed in the mill two years. He worked at his trade in Lamberton a short time and in Madison two years. In 1896 Mr. Berg gave up that work and turned farmer. At that time he bought the north half of the northeast quarter of section 6, Westerheim township, and engaged in farming. He has resided on that farm, since, with the exception of five years spent in Eidsvold township, where he bought a farm which he later sold. Mr. Berg farms 480 acres of land, owning besides his Lyon county farm 400 acres in Burton and Swede Prairie townships, Yellow Medicine county.

Mr. Berg was married at Minneota August 15, 1894, to Helen Hellickson, a native of Wisconsin and a daughter of Andrew Hellickson. They have two daughters, Jane Esther and Hazel Iverine. Mr. Berg is a member of the Odd Fellows and Woodmen orders.

In Mr. Berg's father's family are four children, the others being Edward, of Tacoma, Washington; Martha and Ingeborg, both of Norway.

As printed in An illustrated history of Lyon County, Minnesota (1912). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.