Friday, September 25, 2015

Jeanette Couturier


Jeanette Galloway



Jeanette Couturier- Galloway

Jeanette “Cap” Couturier, Galloway, was born  in a log cabin on the north edge of Sleepy Eye. Jeanette’s parents were Hyacinthe Couturier (Also known as French Cap) and wife Rosalie De Merce (chief Sleepy Eye’s niece). They were French-Canadian and Indian.




(Rosalie De Merce and Hyacinthe Couturier)

Hyacinthe was known as “French Cap” by the early settlers in and around Sleepy Eye, came from Quebec, Canada, when he was a young man. He met and married Rosalie Demarce, who was part Sioux Indian girl.

The reason why the Couturier’s went by “Cap” was because the Germans living in Brown County could not pronounce Courtier so they began calling Hyacinthe as “French Cap”; as time passed the name stuck.

At the time of the Indian outbreak the Couturiers left their home and moved in with a French family by the name of Revier at New Ulm. They didn’t return for three years, but the log house was still standing. The Indians had tried to burn it but the green logs wouldn’t burn.

Rosalie liked chickens and such, but there were none on the place, so one day on the way back from New Ulm where she had purchased her monthly supply of groceries she stopped at a home and asked if she could buy a few chickens. She traded a calico dress for a rooster and two hens. She took them home and put them in a small shed near the log house.

Next morning when she went to feed the chickens there stood a big white cow. When she reported her find to French Cap, and asked where it could have come from, since there were only a few houses between Sleepy Eye lake and New Ulm, it was stated that it was a “a Gift from God; keep her, take care of her.” so Rosalie kept the cow. Two weeks later the cow gave birth to twin heifer calves and the little farm had its first herd of cattle.

“Believe it or not, in just such a way a month later a pig came to the place, from where no one ever knew. Shortly afterward she had a littler of twelve pigs.”  French Cap made a living mostly by hunting and fishing but they also raised some crops. Wheat was hauled to New Ulm by oxen to be ground for flour. Corn, potatoes and beans were stored for winter.



Saturday, September 5, 2015

Family History of the Larrabee Bridge

Family history of the Larrabee Bridge


     James Humphrey came to America from England in 1775, according to the Southwest Memorial Record. James was married to Amy Harding of Providence, Rhode Island. In England the Humphrey family was titled. James served in the American Revolution and spent the rest of his life in New England. Amy may have been of Welsh descent.

     James and Amy had a son William who served in the War of 1812. William was married to Betsey Clausen of Richmond, Va., daughter of Josiah Clausen of Scottish decent. William farmed near Richmond all his life. He and Betsey had twelve children, ten of whom grew to adulthood. They were Diantha (a mute), twins Lucy and Laurs, Truman R., Caroline, William, Amy, Alonzo, Nancy, and Jesse.

     Truman R. Humphrey was born December 3, 1813, in Vermont, died 1911, and in spite of saying that William had farmed near Richmond the same source states that William was from Surrey, New Hampshire. Truman became a wagon and a plow maker, later studied medicine and practiced in several communities. Truman Humphrey came to Hokah, Minnesota, in 1859, and to Brown County in 1865, where he farmed and served also as a physician. He had been married to Elizabeth Merrill, daughter of William Merrill of New Hampshire, and after her death he was married in 1854 to Mary J Sawyer of Boston, a daughter of Sylvestris and Sarah (Clark) Sawyer.

.    Truman R. Humphrey and Sarah had three sons, Truman A., William R. (who died in infancy), and Ed, who was in charge of the home farm. Ed was born in 1861 at Hokah. He was married in 1888 to Emily Herniman, daughter of John Herniman of Sleepy Eye. She was a sister of Mrs Martin Casperson and of the first Mrs. Adolph Jensen. The Ed Humphreys had three children, Lloyd, Glenn, and Lorraine.

     Amy Humphrey, daughter of James and Betsey, and sister of Truman R. Humphrey., was married to Alva S Larrabee in1847. He had been born in 1816 in New York on Tecumseh’s old grounds. Alva Larrabee was the son of Benjamin who was a member of an old American family founded by the three brothers who had come from France. Alva S. Larrabee and Amy Humphrey Larrabee went to Winnebago County, Wisconsin, then went to Albert Lea Minnesota, in 1861. They came to Brown County in 1864 and settle back of the Cotton Wood River. Their home was on the side of a hill and faced approximately east. A road eventually ran below the house and crossed a nearby bridge (hence the Larrabee Bridge). Beyond the bridge was the Dineen home and a little further south the home of Eric Larrabee. Alva S. Larrabee had a farm of 200 acres according to the Southwest Memorial Record, which states the entire family of Alva and Amy was: a girl who became Mrs Adelbert Lambert, Eric whose farm was across the river, Edward H., born October 9, 1849, who operated the home farm and was never married; Ai A. Larrabee who was manager of the Klossner & Mueller Agriculture Implement  Store in Sleepy Eye and who was married to Nellie Howe whose father was Ayres Howe; Edna was Mrs. Lemuel Richards or Mrs. L. R. Richardson; Bert H., who was a druggist in Sleepy Eye and later on the west coast and whose wife was Mary Frank (sister of Lena & Sophie Frank). The children of Ai Larrabee and Nellie were Easter, Edna, Harold, and Ayres H. Larrabee.

     Eric Larrabee was born June 10, 1848, died January 7, 1928, five days after his wife. He had been born in Winnebago County, Wisconsin, came to Freeborn County at age 13, then to Brown County at the of 16 on Reservation Land. At 21 he went out working for other people. He served many years as a township officer and on district school board. He was active in Republican politics. Eric married to Alice June Hall, born August 9, 1853, in Waukon, Wisconsin, died January 2, 1928. She had brothers Art and William Hall and sisters Mrs. H. Rhodes and Mrs. Jake Dilley. Eric farmed in Brown County 1889 until moving to town in 1914.

     Eric and Alice Larrabee had Jennie, Amy, Ward, and Ruth. Amy was married to John Sennett and had several children. Jennie was married to Ira Kelly and they had Grace, Olive, Dean, and Neil. Ruth was married to Albert Schewe (there are two by this name, not related). She had several children, including Virgil.  Ward Larrabee was married to Bessie Kelly, sister of Ira, and they had a son Neil. Bessie Kelly Larrabee was born August 5, 1880, was married June 27, 1900, and died 1931. Ward and Bessie farmed until 1915, at one time on his grandparents’ farm, another time near Iberia, then moved into town.


     You can find many of the Larrabee family in the Iberia Oak Ridge Cemetery. Today you can find the Larrabee bridge on County Rd 10, just southeast of Sleepy Eye, crossing the Cottonwood River.

Sandra Lee and The Velvets Perform at Great Grassroots Gathering


Thursday, May 7, 2015

Palmyre Greenhouse

Palmyre Greenhouse



Andrew Louis Glatigny was born in Paris, France, May 9, 1844 to Andrew and Louise Palmyre Glatigny.  Details gleaned from newspapers are confusing.  He was one of a number of French who came to Sleepy Eye.  Andrew came to U.S. 1854 and to Brown County - 1862 after Uprising was quelled.  He farmed and was said to have one near neighbor, French Cap.    

Mrs. George Carroll was a Glatigny.  After Mrs. Glatigny's death Andrew married Emily Beliveau on Nov. 9, 1880.  They had a daughter, Clemence.  Glatigny built a house in 1899 on southwest corner of Linden and Second Avenue West - a total size of six lots.  Added greenhouse in 1900.  Tripled Green House in 1901.  Property extended full block over to dirt road which became Highway Four.  A grove was at the west end.  Matthias Hillesheim farm was to the west side of road.  The Glatigny Family were members of All Souls Episcopal Church.  Clemence married Oscar Werring, a dentist.  They had a daughter,  Palmyre.  Oscar died young of TB, as did several of his friends.  Clemence and her child then went to California and became involved with Christian Science.

Andrew sold Palmyre Greenhouse in1917 to Anton Heymans.  Four lots to the west of the home were sold to make space for more homes.  The barn was moved to an empty lot west and remolded by William Schwartz.

Census 1880 - Michel Glatigny age 69, farmer, wife Palmyre age 68.  They evidently are parents of men above.  Children are listed as Andrew 34, farmer, August 33, farmer.  Also in household: Emily, daughter-in-law to Michal, and Helen granddaughter.  Figures do not all jibe with those above.  Also on farm were Andy Lautz, 21, laborer.

History of Glatigny Family:
Adele Lucille Glatigny - Age 21 - Died of Consumption Jan 15 - 1906
Palmyre Glatigny - Age 9 - Died of a brain tumor - April 13 - 1905

L. August  Glatigny -Age 72 - Died of heart trouble - Oct 21 - 1916

West Newton - Town and Township

  West Newton –Town and Township   I think this piece though not Brown County, is important enough to at least add here because so many ...