Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/1129

 BISTORY OF (,no|)HL'E COUNTY 979 tiers of the eounty. His father, E. A. Sargent (married to Abbie Currier) was a shoemaker in Massachusetts, and came to Good- hue eounty in 1856, locating in Leon towns-hip. His name is still prominent in the early annals of that section of the county. In 1857 he built a store and stocked it with merchandise, and on July 5, 1858, the first town meeting of Leon was held in his store, he being the clerk of election. He also served several terms as town clerk. He was also eounty commissioner at one time. After farming many years he moved to St. Paul and took up the real estate business, ending his days in that city, in 1900. His wife died in 1877. C. A. was born January 17, 1850, in the historic town of Haverhill. Mass., and there spent his early childhood, being brought to this comity by his parents in early boyhood, his father having preceded the rest of the family by a tew months. His education was obtained in the common schools of his neighborhood and in the schools of Red Wing. For one year he was a grocer, but aside from that, has spent his life as a farmer. He does some general farming, but makes a specialty of dairying, keeping some forty-five cows and retailing milk in the city of Red Wing. In addition to other improvements, Mr. Sargent has sunk a 440-foot artesian well, which supplies his household and stock with pure, fresh water. A Prohibitionist in politics, he has been town chairman two years and clerk of his school district, which latter position he still occupies. He is a member of the Presbyterian church. He is also a member of the Foresters at Red Wing. On October 7, 1874. C. A. Sargent was married to Rose C. Hart, daughter of W. B. and Clarissa (Stone) Hart, who came from New York in 1870. Her father was a farmer and jeweler, and died in 1896. Mr. and Mrs. Sar- gent have been blessed with ten children, Waverly B., Edwin W., Fred W., Luverne M., Forrest H., Ray L., Clara A., Plato E., Lee W. and Cecil C. S. H. Purdy, who carries on general farming on a place of 170 acres in Burnside township, traces his ancestry back to the founder of the Purdy family, who settled in New York state in 1771. He was born in Goodhue township, this county, January 5, 1873, son of David and Mary F. (Rolfe) Purdy. The father was born in New York state January 16, 1840, and the mother in the same state January 7, 1841. They came west in 1859 and settled first in Goodhue township, where they lived until 1875, when they moved to Burnside township, on a farm now occu- pied by the subject of this sketch. Mr. and Mrs. David Purdy had four children, Anna (deceased), Jennie S. H. and W. H. S. H. Purdy attended the common schools and the high school at Red Wing, afterward teaching school two terms. Of this he made a success, but decided that he preferred to make farming