Jackson County, MN
Biographies and Obituaries

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Biography of John Nestrud

The following excerpt comes from
An Illustrated History of Jackson County, Minnesota
by Arthur P. Rose
Northern History Publishing Company, Jackson, Minnesota, 1910

JOHN NESTRUD (1870) is one of the most prosperous farmers and an early settler of Heron Lake township, having resided upon his present farm nearly forty years. He owns and farms 320 acres on sections 20 and 21. When he located there in 1870 there was not a building or stick of timber on the place; now hE has a fine home, surrounded by a beautiful grove, which was planted in 1877.

Mr. Nestrud is a Norwegian by birth, having been born July 16, 1847, the son of Hans C. and Johanna A. (Whem) Nestrud. John is the youngest of a family of six children born to these parents. his parents came to America in 1869 and made their home with their son until their death, the father dying in 1898, at the age of 89 years, his mother in 1891, at the age of 88 years.

Our subject resided in Norway until he was twenty-three years of age. During this time he attended school and worked on this father's farm and at outside work. He came to America in 1868 and for two years resided in Houston county, Minnesota. He arrived in jackson county in June, 1870, took as a preemption claim the northeast quarter of section 20, Heron Lake township, and that has ever since been his home. Later he bought the north-west quarter of section 21, and he farms the whole half section.

During his long residence in the county Mr. Nestrud has taken an active part in its business, social and political life. He has been justice of the peace of his precinct during nearly all of the time he has resided in the county, was township treasurer eleven years, assessor nine years, township clerk since 1890 with the exception of two and one-half years, and road overseer for many years. He held the office of clerk of school district No. 56 before the reorganization of the distrits because of the increase of territory of the Lakefield district, and he has been treasurer of district No. 66 for ten or twelve years. Mr. Nesterud owns stock in and is one of the directors of the First National Bank of Lakefield and owns stock in the Farmers Elevator company and the Jackson County Cooperative Store company. He was one of the organizers of the East Heron Lake Creamery company, furnished the plans and specification for the building and was secretary of the company the first four years of tis existence. He is one of the stockholders of the Delafield Farmers Insurance company and has held an office in the company since it was organized in 1889.

Mr. Nestrud was married in Jackson county June 14, 1873 to Miss Inge Maria Peterson, who was born in Norway December 25, 1857. Her parents are Hans and Pernile (Arneson) Peterson, who reside in Heron Lake township upon land they homesteaded in 1870. Sixteen children have been born to Mrs. and Mrs. Nestrud, as follows: Hans P., born December 23, 1873, died September 13, 1874; Josephina, born November 22, 1874; Petria, born December 24, 1875; Hannah C., born April 20, 1877; Helen M., born May 20, 1878; Adolph, born October 14, 1881; Olof, born February, 1883; Julia, born January 3, 1880; Laura, born November 10, 1886; Clara, born September 25, 1888; Emma, born january 10, 1891; Alta, born July 11, 1893; Inga, born January 10, 1896; Jalmar, born September 29, 1898, died October 5, 1898; Lloyd W., born June 8, 1901. The family are members of the Norwegian Lutheran church of Lakefield.