The qualities which have caused Ole Hammerstad, a merchant of Wisdom, Cottonwool county, to win in life's battle have no doubt been inherited from his worthy Norwegian ancestors, although he himself was born under the "star spangled banner," his birth having occurred in Jackson county, Minnesota, August 29, 1872. He is a son of Ole and Marie (Quevli) Hammerstad, both born in Norway, where they grew up, attended school, and were married. In 1871 they set their faces toward the New World and took up residence in Jackson county, Minnesota, homesteading one hundred and sixty acres, where they developed a good farm on which they spent the rest of their lives, the father dying in 1877 and the mother about 1895. They were members of the Lutheran church, in which they reared their four children, namely: Tilda, Julia, Minnie and Ole.

Ole Hammerstad grew to manhood on the home farm in Jackson county, and was educated in the public schools. However, his education was limited, for he was compelled to begin life for himself when only twelve years of age, when he took a position as clerk in a store in the town of Jackson. He came to Windom in 1894, where he clerked in the store of his uncle, A. Quevli. Being alert, trustworthy and courteous, his rise was rapid and in 1900 he was admitted as a member of the firm of A. Quevli & Company, and. has remained with the firm ever since, doing much toward the general success of this thriving merchantile establishment.

Mr. Hammerstad was married in December, 1899, to Melissa Larson, of Lyle, Minnesota, and to this union three children have been born, namely: Owen, Mark is deceased, and Lynn.

Politically, Mr. Hammerstad is a Democrat. He has been a member of the council of Windom and has always been alert to the best interests of the town since taking up his residence here. He is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Methodist Episcopal church.