Page:History of Goodhue County, Minnesota.djvu/689

 HISTORY OF GOODHUE COT XTY 605 the family were eight children: John Frederick, Henry A., Theo- dore A., Charles A. are now living and four daughters are de- ceased. John Frederick Swanson, of the firm of Swanson cV Ander- son, dealers in hardware, farm machinery and vehicles, was born in Red Wing January 19, L861, son of Andrew and Oliva .Olson) Swanson. He received his education in the public schools of Red Wing, and began his active career in the employ of Erick- son & Swanson in 187!), when he was given charge of a branch furniture store at Cannon Falls. A year later he entered the employ of the Red AYing Furniture Company (successors of Erickson & Swansonj as shipping clerk, and subsequently be- came connected with the Red Wing Manufacturing Company as bookkeeper and secretary, in which position he remained until 1888, when, on account of failing health, lie was forced to retire. In 1889 he was taken into the retail business with his father, the firm being known as A. Swanson & Son. In 1894 he became interested in the hard wan- business with John Augustine, under the firm name of Augustine & Sw T anson. In September, 1896, J. S. Anderson purchased an interest in the business and the name 'was changed to Augustine, Sw r anson & Co. They bought the stock of A. F. Anderson and moved to 312-314 Main street, and this relation continued until July 1, 1905, when Mr. Augus- tine withdrew^ and the firm assumed the present name of Sw r an- son & Anderson. They have the largest store of the kind in Red Wing and are doing an increasing business. RED WING FRATERNITIES. A. E. Welch Post, No. 75, G. A. R., w T as antedated by a post organized in 1866, but the records have been mislaid or destroyed. The organization proved to be very short lived, as it met but once or twice. The first meeting for the organization of the A. E. Welch Post was held at the court house on Saturday evening, March 15, 1884, and w T as called to order by A. F. Graves. At this meeting Department Commander E. C. Babb, of Minneapolis, was present and mustered in the following as members of the post: Nelson Berg, E. D. Brisbin, F. A. Carlson, William Colvill, G. W. Crisler, S. Dahlberg, AY. AY. DeKay, E. H. Druse, C. A. Erickson, P. F. Glardon, A. F. Graves, E. F. Grow, L. A. Hancock, J. C. Hawes, G. AY. Hawkins, George Hudson, George AY. Humphrey, J. P. Johnson, Albert Jones, J. M. Jordan, AYilliam Llewellyn, J. W. McChesney, A. J. McCracken, H. P. Mclntire, A. W. Orser, Ole Oskey, W T. H. Parsons, J. C. Pfeiffer, L. F. Quimby, J. F. Sawyer, D. B. Scofield, A. Seebach, Fred Seebach, George Shakes- peare, G. R. Slawson, Peter Wagner, H. B. Washburn, John Win-