Thursday, January 20, 2011

Volume 98; Number 32

www.bladepublishing.net

A community newspaper serving Browerville, MN and surrounding areas. USPS 067-560

75¢
Tom Ward: Immigrant, miller, School Board makes
county commissioner 2011 appointments
By Venus Kiing
Daryl Brever called the January School Board meeting to order
Monday January 10. After the Pledge of Allegience and approval of
the Agenda, Brever called for nominations for the position of
Chairperson, Clerk and Treasurer. This year the offices will be held
by; Daryl Brever – Chairperson, Denis Irsfeld as Clerk and Heidi
Iten as Treasurer.
Denise Gaida attended the board meeting to voice her concern of
the lack of a Guidance Counselor at Browerville School to help pre-
pare students and their parents for college.
Other action taken by board members was the approval of;
Browerville Blade as the official newspaper, meeting dates to be the
2nd Monday of the month through May, August- December and the
last Monday in June, set 2011 mileage rate at current federal rate
of 51¢ per mile, and to authorize the Chairperson of the Board
and/or Superintendent of Schools to contract and retain the servic-
es of legal council for the District as needed.
School Board Salaries are as follows; board salary - $1200,
Chairperson - $400, Clerk - $200, Treasurer - $100 and Special
Meetings - $50.
Board Appointments – Vocational Advisory Committee – Denis
Irsfeld, Community Education – Heidi Iten, Community Concerns
for Youth – Pat Sutlief, System Accountability – Cory Heid and Mike
Jeziorski, Negotiations – Daryl Brever, Cory Heid and Joe Duncan,
NJPA Representative – Heidi Iten and Mike Jeziorski, Health and
Continued on page 20

New EV School Board

Jim Walker, director of the Hewitt Museum, located a photo identified as the Hewitt Mill and
a group photo of the Ward family identified as “Modern Woodsmen of America.” Tom Ward, the
father and grandfather of the men pictured, is seated in the second row, second from the right.
These photos would have been taken most likely in the 1880s.
By Rin Porter
One of the pioneer settlers of
Stowe Prairie Township, in the
northwest corner of Todd
County, was Tom Ward. Born in
England, Tom Ward immigrated
with his parents David and
Susan Colby Ward to Montreal
about 1852, according to Todd
County Histories (p. 132).
Nothing is known of the fami-
ly between 1852 and 1867. In
1867, DeLaurier said they were
known to be farming in Brown
County, Minnesota, where they
continued until 1876. It is likely
that there the Wards knew
Henry Hewitt and his family,
who also were living in
Springfield, in Brown County
beginning in 1870.
In 1876, Tom Ward arrived in
Stowe Prairie Township with his
wife Susan Freeman, born in
1851 in Tennessee, whom he
married August 15, 1869. We
don’t know how they met or
where they married. O.B.
DeLaurier of The Long Prairie
Leader wrote on Jan. 9, 1936,
that Tom Ward “acquired a claim
southwest of where Hewitt was
later built, and erected his cabin
and also a bridge across the
Wing River, the first so far as we
know that ever spanned that
stream.”
Acording to the Grantee Index
in the office of the Todd County
Recorder, Susan Ward recorded
a warranty deed for land in sec-
tion 29 of Stowe Prairie
Township on Aug. 15, 1877, and
Tom Ward purchased 100 acres
from Northern Pacific Railroad
in Section 29 of Stowe Prairie
Township on Feb. 8, 1878.
Additional purchases of land
were made in Section 4 in 1883,
section 20 in 1884, and Section
33 in 1884. Their son David
Ward purchased 40 acres in
Section 29 on Feb. 20, 1880.
DeLaurier’s 1936 newspaper
article continued, “With the com-
ing of the railroad, [Tom Ward]
built a sawmill at Hewitt and
later a flour mill. He was closely
and intimately identified with
the growth and development of
Hewitt and of Stowe Prairie.”
Jim Walker, director of the
Hewitt Museum, located a photo
identified as the Hewitt Mill and
a group photo of the Ward fami-
ly identified as “Modern
Woodsmen of America.” Tom
Ward, the father and grandfa-
ther of the men pictured, is seat-
ed in the second row, second
begins planning
By Rin Porter
The Eagle Valley School Board welcomed three new members at the
first meeting of the year on Monday, Jan. 10, 2011, held in the Clarissa
from the right. These photos
school. New board members, Rick Nelson, Adam Riedel, and Shawn
would have been taken most
Rowe, took their places at the table and assumed their new responsibil-
likely in the 1880s.
ities.
Ward served as a Todd County
One of the first items of business at the 7 PM organizational meeting
Commissioner during the years
was the election of officers. Sharon Notch was elected chair, and Chris
1882, 1883 and 1884, and was
Notch was elected vice chair. They will serve for one year in these posi-
board chair during the period
tions.
when the Historic Courthouse
The board then named the Independent News Herald as the school
was built in 1883 and when the
district’s official newspaper and Star Bank and Unity Bank as the banks
Sauk Centre Northern Railroad
to provide services for the district such as payroll, student activities, and
was constructed.
accounts payable.
Ward was a member of the
Many other routine items were approved including the amount of sub-
Stowe Prairie town board, and
stitute teacher pay, extra-curricular worker pay, pay for junior varsity
served for a time as clerk.
and junior high officials for athletic events, board member per diem pay-
Complete township records for
ments, and board representatives to various local and regional organiza-
the 1870s and 1880s could not be
tions.
located, but one Road and Bridge
The board appointed its members to standing committees. One of the
book from the 1890s shows that
most important such committees is the Facilities Committee. Riedel,
Tom Ward served as clerk in
Nelson, and Chris Notch were appointed to this committee, which set a
1894 and 1895. A Road and
meeting date for Jan. 17 to begin discussions on school buildings.
Bridge book from the early 1890s
Pierce and Pratt were appointed to the Finance Committee. Sharon
showed that he paid his taxes to
Notch, Pierce, and Riedel will form the Negotiations Committee. New
the Road and Bridge fund, and
teacher contracts will be negotiated in 2011.
that he worked for the township
The board set Jan. 24 as the date for its first retreat. This four-hour
in building roads during 1891-
meeting will take place at the Clarissa school beginning at 6 PM, and is
1895. He was also active in
an opportunity for new members to learn about the issues facing the
church and in the public school
Eagle Valley School Board.
in District 56. DeLaurier wrote
After completing its organizational business, the board adjourned this
that for many years this school
meeting, and then convened the regular school board meeting at 7:41
was known as the Ward School.
PM. During this meeting, new high school principal Barry Johnson was
Tom Ward and Susan
introduced to the new school board members, and he then gave a report
Freeman had three sons (James,
on his activities during his first few weeks on the job.
Richard, and David) born in
Johnson listed student activities and sports currently under way, and
Brown County; daughter Mattie,
Continued on page 20 Continued on page 20

WEEKLY WEATHER REPORT

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