"History of Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties of Minnesota, 1916"



Dr. Henry C. Beise, well-known dentist at Windom, former councilman and now a member of the school board of that city, who has been practicing his profession at Windom since 1896, is a native son of Minnesota, born on a farm in Medo township, Blue Earth county, this state, December 16, 1872, son of August and Sophia (Lader) Beise, the former a native of Germany, born on October 13, 1835, and the latter of New York City, born in 1842, both of whom later came West, locating in Wisconsin, where they were married, and thence to Minnesota, becoming pioneers of Blue Earth county, their last days being spent in the village of Mapleton, that county.

August Beise received his schooling in his native land and was fourteen years of age when his parents, Henry Beise and wife, came to the United States with their family in 1849, settling in Dodge county, Wisconsin. Henry Beise, the grandfather, homesteaded a farm in that county and there established his home; later he came to this state and bought a farm in Winona county in 1866, continuing, however, to hold his land in Wisconsin, and became a substantial pioneer of Winona county, where he spent the rest of his life, his last days being spent in the village of Lewistown; his widow later moved to Good Thunder, Blue Earth county, Minnesota, and resided there until her death. August Beise grew to manhood in Dodge county, Wisconsin, and there he homesteaded a tract of land, which he presently sold to advantage and bought another farm in that same county.

He married there Sophia Lader in 1859, who was born in the city of New York, daughter of Jacob and Mena (Lutz) Lader, the former of whom was born in France on February 22, 1812, who came to this country, locating in New York City, but after about two years' residence there came West and homesteaded a farm in Dodge county, Wisconsin, later, in 1866, coming to Minnesota and settling in Blue Earth county, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Jacob Lader entered a homestead claim in Blue Earth county and there established his home, becoming a substantial pioneer farmer. His wife died in 1869, two years after settling in the new home, and he thereafter made his home with his daughter, Mrs. August Beise, .in Medo township, that same county, until his death, in 1899.

It was in 1866 also that August Beise and wife moved from Wisconsin to Blue Earth county. They first bought a quarter section in Lyra township, where they lived for about three years, at the end of which time they moved over into Medo township and bought another quarter section, on which they lived for five years, when they bought an adjoining farm of three hundred and twenty acres, where they lived until 1900, in which year they retired from the farm and moved to the village of Mapleton, where their last days were spent, Mrs. August Beise dying on July 7, 1904 and August Beise, December 24, 1915. They were the parents of ten children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the seventh in order of birth, the others being as follow: Elizabeth, who died in infancy; Amelia, wife of John Frey, of Clear Lake, Iowa; Edward, who is living on and operating the old Beise home farm in Medo township, Blue Earth county; Ida, who lives at Mapleton, in that same county; Emma, wife of C. L. Sulrud, of Halstad, Norman county, this state; Dr. Charles J. Beise, who died at Maple-ton, at the age of forty-two years; Judge George W. Beise, former county attorney of Stephens county; this state, and now municipal judge of Morris, that same county; Dr. Rudolph Beise, of Brainard, this state, and Minnie A., wife of O. Lovsines, of Halstad, Minnesota.

Henry C. Beise was reared on the home farm in Medo township, Blue Earth county, receiving his elementary education in the district school in the neighborhood of his home, supplementing the same by one year in the high school at Mapleton, after which he took a three-year course in the Mankato Normal School, after which he began teaching school, but after one year's experience in that vocation in Norman county, turned his attention to the study of dental surgery in the office of Dr. L. C. Cruttender, of Northfield, under whose preceptorship he was prepared for entrance into the dental department of the University of Minnesota, from which he was graduated in 1896. Thus admirably equipped for the practice of his profession, Dr. Beise opened an office at Windom, June 15, 1896, and has ever since been very successfully engaged in practice there, being one of the best-known members of his profession in this part of the state. The Doctor is a Republican and has given close attention to local political affairs, having served as a member of the city council, and is now a member of the city school board. He is a. member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and of the Modern Woodmen of America and in the affairs of these organizations takes a warm interest.

On December 22, 1897, the year following his arrival in Windom, Doctor Beise was united in marriage to Blanche Johnson, of that city, daughter of Seth S. and Margaret (Evans) Johnson, pioneers of Windom, the former of whom, for years engaged in the flour and feed business in that city and later in the agricultural-implement business, and who died in 1900, since which time his widow has made her home with her daughter, Mrs. Beise. To Doctor and Mrs. Beise three children have been born, Clark, born on October 13, 1898; Margaret, July 12, 1901, and Dorothy, April 22, 1905. Doctor and Mrs. Beise are active members of .the Methodist Episcopal church, of which the Doctor is a member of the official board and one of the trustees. He has taken much interest in the affairs of Methodism in Minnesota and was a delegate to the general conference of that church in Minneapolis in May, 1912.



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