BENTON COUNTY MINNESOTA BIOGRAPHIES ****************************************************************************** File contributed for use in Benton County Biographies by Mary Ellen Bruski Bruski@pclink.com *********************************************************************** The Latterell Family of Benton County, Minnesota Most of the Latterell family came from New York to Benton County around 1865. The son Louis Nelson had settled there earlier with his wife and children. Sophia was the mother of this family and her husband Cozack had died in 1855. Sophia was in her 60's when she accompanied her sons and their wives across country to the rich land of Benton County, Minnesota. The Latterells who settled in Benton County were: Louis Cozack, Isaiah Nelson, Felix, Prosper, Julia, Lavina, Joseph, and Adolphus. Joseph Latterell, born in 1847, was the second youngest of the Latterell family. He was a Civil War veteran and married Margaret Galarneault, daughter of Casimer and Margaret Malone Galarneault, also of Benton County. The following text is from letters sent to me in the late 1970's by two of their children, Julia Latterell Cody and her brother Leo Latterell. I had asked them to tell me about life in their youth when the large Latterell family lived on their farm near Foley, Minnesota. From Leo Latterell, in June, 1977, when he was 82: "Louis and Philemon Latterell were the first to arrive in Benton County from Keysville, New York (Louis was a uncle to Leo) and soon after his brother Felix and wife Delma followed. (Philemon and Delma were sisters, or cousins.) The rest of the family including grandmother Sophia followed and by 1865 some of them had settled in Benton and Stearns Counties. But all finally came to Benton County. They did some farming, cut timber, kept stock and hunted. "Joseph Latterell, the sixth son, enlisted in the Army on December 17, 1863 before the mother left for Minnesota. He joined up December 22, 1863 and served in Company "E", 2nd Vet., New York Cavalry. He was only sixteen, so his mother had to sign for him. He was so intent on getting in that he told his mother that if she would not sign for him, that he was going across to Vermont and join up. He was in the Cavalry and very proud of his horse. He engaged in a number of battles or skirmishes, but don't remember of any large ones. "Father and I slept together until I was twelve or thirteen years old and many nights we talked about his days in the service and so many incidents that happened. Its been so long ago, they seemed important to both of us then, but now have forgotten most of them and would not sound so real anymore. "He was discharged at Talladega, Alabama on Nov. 8, 1865. Received many copies of his record from Washington, DC, but the name has been misspelled and dates differ in some of them. When mother passed on, brother Frank got father's discharge and passed it on to Kenneth Latterell. "When the men were discharged father said they struck out across the country for home in New York. He threw away his gun, sword and whatever was heavy to carry. He could not write so don't think he ever heard from home. The result was when he arrived in New York he was told that his family had all moved to Minnesota. Then he had 1500 more miles to travel. "I don't know how long he stayed in Benton County. Then he joined a survey outfit that was running a line to Yellowstone or somewhere out there. I am lost now for awhile, but before he returned home, I think he worked for awhile in Salt Lake Mines. He came home and took a homestead. Think it was on the North edge of town, now Foley. Don't know what he worked at. Later he sold his place, I believe, and purchased a farm south of Parent, MN. Also bought two adjoining places and was married. They farmed and cleared the land and bought stock. Mother had gone to school in St. Paul and according to a Minneapolis paper I read some years ago, she was one of the first teachers in Benton County (which was then very large). She taught in a log one-room building with a dirt floor. It was in the middle of a wooded country with mostly foot paths. "Mother was the active one in the family. She was educated (a teacher) and more outgoing. Father never went out; he was always working around the home and contented. They tell me he played the piccolo or some such instrument. At that point no one spoke of one having any talent. Both father and mother had good voices. Sister Margaret played some on piano, but Sue played well and had a good voice. As to the guitar your grandfather had, guess you were right, but brother Paul was the only one I remember of playing it. Our family never had talent like the other Latterell families. "In the old days on the farm on a Sunday P.M. you would usually find a number of horse and buggies in our front yard. Many of the visitors were relatives, they would all play and sing and have a great time. "We have my uniform and also father's in the closet. I asked Casie and other children if it was the one father came home in, and they all said that as far as they knew, that was the only uniform he had ever owned. It must be over a hundred years old. It had the brass buttons on, but years ago the girls took them off and had hat pins made of them. "Mother and Dad both spoke good French, but mother would never have it spoken in the house except father and his old cronies. We children had it hard enough learning to speak English. "There was an Oliver Latterell family living in Santa Cruz when I came to live in San Francisco. He was from Quebec. He passed on not so many years ago. I talked to two of his children. One on the phone and the other in person. She looked like the years ago Latterell girls and they spelled their name the same as us. They did not know so much about the family, but had I been able to talk to the old gentleman, I am sure he would have remembered something of interest to us. By the time I finally got to Santa Cruz the old gent had passed on. "Father was so interested in the G.A.R. each year on May 30th was his big day. He would dress up in his uniform and march in the parades with all the old veterans. "I don't know if I should mention this, but when Cozack was young he studied to be a priest. Don't know just why he gave it up, but know he got sick and went up in the mountains for health. After his family was grown, I know he was ill with TB. He lived for a time in the mountains and passed away up there (New York). "Nothing unusual about our family. Mother and three daughters were teachers. Three of us brothers married three Campbell sisters." 1977 and 1978. Julia was 86 in 1977. (She lived into her mid-90's) From Julia about her grandfather, Cozack, "He was a very religious man who wanted to be a priest before he married. He and Gramma moved up the mountainside (near Wallansburg, NY) to live among the pines for his health and he died there. Sophia died March 9, 1884 in Benton County near Foley, MN and was buried at St. Patrick's, a little country church where we attended Mass. I made my First Communion and was confirmed there. Very peaceful cemetery and well kept up. Gramma Sophia lived with Uncle Dolphie (Adolphus) or Uncle Prosper." Julia said that she was named after her grandmother Julia Sophia LaBerge. Her mother, Margaret Galarneault, was the child of one of the first settlers in the wooded country around Foley, MN. Margaret was a school teacher and some of Julia's nieces that had her for their teacher said they thought she "was the prettiest girl they ever saw." Julia said her father was good looking also. Margaret Galarneault and Joseph Latterell married and settled on a farm of about 320 acres where all the children were born. "Our house was made of logs with siding on the outside. A very warm home. Of course, we burned wood for heat." "We raised wheat, corn, oats mostly and potatoes and all our own vegetables. Our living mostly was with the cattle and hogs. We had a large pasture and had to put up hay and feed for the stock. We milked as high as 30 cows, night and morning. No milking machines then. But there were five boys and four girls. So we did not really have too much chores; only when the men were working in the field. "We had a creamery where we took our milk. They separated it and we took home the skim milk to feed the calves and hogs. Later we had our own separator and had to have a little house for the milk and separator. We sold our cream then to the big creameries where they just made butter, but the milk house had to be inspected, too. "At this time we had built a large yellow brick house. Where we lived was about one quarter mile from a Post Office, store, wheat elevator, blacksmith shop, creamery, sawmill and our school. There was a railroad that ran from Willmar to Milaca every day. This was called Parent, MN. Of course, it isn't there anymore. We had our neighborhood dances and parties and, I think, maybe enjoyed them more than young folks do today. "St. Cloud was about ten miles West of us, Foley, MN about five miles East. The railroad ran through both places daily. So we had good service. Your Grandfather (Casimer Latterell) was always lively. He met your Grandma (Catherine Ann Cannon) when she taught our school and boarded at our place as did all the teachers. Her home was in St. Cloud. Both Julia and her sister Susan moved to Montana as young women and took homesteads. "You asked if it was unusual for unmarried girls to take a homestead. No, not in those days. A widow could take a homestead or a wife could live on the homestead while the husband was off working. My sister Margaret and her husband Phil Dougherty had filed on a homestead out South (of Wolf Point, Montana) which was not opened up for filing and I came out to visit them and felt so much better in Montana, I decided to take a homestead, too. It was close to them and joining Phil's sister's, so we used to exchange staying with one another. My parents did not object as I had a few friends here as the Dougherty's had moved here before. "But when I decided to get married I had to file on a homestead before I was married. So the reason I filed North of Wolf Point which was open for filing which we had to pay a small sum per acre, while the claims south of the river that was not open, was free land. I was married shortly after I had filed on homestead. So I lived there and my husband drove back and forth from Wolf Point at night where he worked. "I hired the place fenced and had 40 acres broke up. Then later leased the land to some ranchers who broke up a couple hundred acres, then put in wheat on shares. Some years we done very well, but two years we didn't get a kernel. No rain and lots of hot wind. And the price in those days was not like the price they get today either, but the machines and wages were not as high. Holidays: "Mother always had a nice dinner, I know. Maybe not turkey, but duck or chicken and she made fruitcake. Maybe not as much fruit and nuts as nowadays, and always a steamed pudding. All was very nice. We lived maybe 12 miles from St. Cloud and drove in with workhorses and a load of cord wood or load of hay to sell in order to buy something with. Could not always go if lots of snow, as very little travel in those days. "We did get nuts and candy and maybe oranges from a little store about 1/4 mile from our house where we got our mail as a train ran daily there. And we each received one useful present. But we all hung up our stocking to receive our present, candy, nuts, apples as we use to get a couple of big barrels of apples in the Fall. But in early times, no Christmas tree. But later we had a Christmas tree with candle lights, cranberries and popcorn and chains of different color paper rings strung on the tree. And we were very happy over it all. We did not have much company at Christmas but all were invited out to my Aunt Devine Murn (her mother's sister) for Thanksgiving, and we used to enjoy it so. But too much snow at Christmas to go around much. We had our games and played and were contented." Submitted by: Mary Ellen Bruski Bruski@pclink.com