Mason N. Cadwell, a well-to-do retired farmer, for years an influential resident of Amo township, Cottonwood county, now living at Windom; former president of the old Mutual Telephone Company, of which he was the original promoter, and a pioneer of this section of Minnesota, is a native of the great Empire state, but has been a resident of Minnesota since 1871, in which year he became a homesteader in Cottonwood county, where he has lived ever since.

He was born in Allegany county, New York, September 29, 1846, son of George and Melissa (Hatfield) Cadwell, the former a native of Connecticut, born in 1812, and the latter of Cattaraugus county, New York, born in 1813. In 1864 George Cadwell and his family came West and settled in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, where they established their home on a farm. There Mrs. Cadwell died in September, 1868. Her husband survived her about eleven years, his death occurring on October 29, 1879. They were the parents of five children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the youngest, the others being Marvin (deceased), Evalyn (deceased), Mason N. and one infant (deceased).

Mason N. Cadwell obtained his schooling in the East and was about eighteen years old when he located with his parents in Wisconsin, where he remained until 1872, a year after his marriage, when he and his wife came to Minnesota and settled in Amo Township, Cottonwood county. There Mr. Cadwell entered a homestead claim to a quarter section of land and established his home. To that homestead tract he later added by purchasing an adjoining quarter section and still owns his fine farm of three hundred and twenty acres there. In 1901 he went into Morrison county and bought eleven hundred acres of land and still owns six hundred and fifty acres. In 1904 he retired from the farm and moved to Windom, where he and his wife have since made their home and where they are very comfortably situated.

Mr. Cadwell formerly was an active worker in the ranks of the Republican party in his home county and was for years clerk of Amo township, as well as a member of the school board, but of recent years has been inclined to be wholly independent in his political views. He ever took an active part in such movements as were designed to advance the interests of his community and was one of the organizers and for five years was president of the Mutual Telephone Company, organized in 1902, with a capital stock of four thousand five hundred dollars, and which a year later was reorganized with a capital of forty-five thousand dollars, thirty-one thousand dollars paid up. This company constructed exchanges at Windom, Westbrook and Jeffers and built intermediate lines and was eventually taken over by the Tri-State Telephone Company, the present owners.

In January, 1872, in Jefferson county, Wisconsin, Mason N. Cadwell was united in marriage to Mary J. Waite, who was born in Cattaraugus county, New York, August 14, 1854, daughter of Martin and Jane (Vanocker) Waite, who moved to Wisconsin at an early day and later moved to Iowa, where their last days were spent, Martin Waite dying in 1886 and his wife in 1912. To Mr. and Mrs. Cadwell three children have been born, Arthur, born November 7, 1873; Myra, born December 23, 1876, and Guy E., born September 5, 1882, all of whom are living. Mrs. Cadwell is a member of the Methodist church and takes an earnest interest in the various beneficences of the same.



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