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



While the German Empire has not furnished so many settlers for Watonwan county as have some other countries, those she has sent to this locality are thrifty and have become comfortably fixed by reason of their industry. One of this number is John Zender, now living in retirement in the town of St. James.

Mr. Zender was born in Germany, July 8, 1846, and is a son of Jacob G. and Katherine (Green) Zender, both of whom lived and died in Germany, the father dying in 1869 and the mother about 1879. They were the parents of tile following children: Susanna, who died in Germany; Angela, who married and spent her life in Germany, dying there a number of years ago, and had two sons who came to the United States, Jacob and Theodore Oik, of Nebraska; Katherine, who died in Germany; Peter is deceased; John, the subject of this sketch; Veronica, who married Wendal Liver, came to the United States, where she died, and Antone lives in Iowa.

John Zender spent his boyhood in Germany, where he was educated in the public schools. On August 10, 1871, he sailed from the Fatherland to the new world, locating in Chicago, where he remained until April, 1872, then came to Faribault, Minnesota, but in a short time went on to Scott county, locating seven miles south of Jordan, where he lived about seven months, then came to Watonwan county and bought a homestead right of one hundred and sixty acres, to which he added until he now owns seven hundred acres of valuable and well-improved land, two hundred acres of which lies in St. James township and five hundred in Butterfield township. He carried on general farming and stock raising on an extensive scale until 1913, when he retired from active life and purchased a fine home in St. James, where he has since resided. He is a stockholder in the Farmers Elevator Company here.

Mr. Zender was married in 1876, to Katie Goll, who was born in Austria in 1858. She is a daughter of Michael and Mary Goll, who came to Mankato, Minnesota, in 1867, but the following year located in Watonwan county, Mr. Goll taking up a homestead in Rosedale township, on which he spent the rest of his life, dying in 1907 at the advanced age of eighty-four years. Mrs. Goll is still living on the home place, being now eighty-two years of age. To Mr. and Goll the following children were born: Katie, wife of Mr. Zender; Andrew died in 1899; Margaret is the wife of John Barrett; Frank, Mary, Anna.

To Mr. and Mrs. Zender thirteen children have been born, named as follows: Mary, Michael, Margaret, Francis, Theresa, Anton Joseph, Andrew George, Jacob, Anna Clara, Albert Joseph, Julia, Florence, and Eleanor. They are all living at this writing. Mr. Zender and family are members of the Catholic church, and he is affiliated to the German Catholic Association.

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