Page:History of Stearns County, Minnesota; volume 1.pdf/883

 a most conspicuous success. A large part of his attention was turned to stock breeding, and as a result of his experiments and thought in this direction he erected a barn which is a model of its kind, built along the latest lines, having a cement basement, an improved ventilator system, and patent stanchions, as well as many other sanitary features. A man of broad education along general lines, a diligent worker, a master of farming, it was natural that his fellow citizens should draft him into public service. He was town clerk five years and assessor five years. Although a Democrat in politics, he ran on an independent ticket, for the position of county commissioner from the fourth district in 1910, and was elected. After the death of John P. Rau, October 19, 1913, Mr. Thomey resigned his position as county commissioner, and was appointed county auditor. To this office he has applied the same principles that contributed to his success as an educator and as a farmer, and he has made a most popular and efficient officer. Mr. Thomey is a member of the C. O. F., the D. K. L. V., and the K. of C. On September 26, 1899, he married Margaret Hansen, daughter of Mathias Hansen, the pioneer. They have five children: Alma (deceased), Leona, Pierre, Margaret and Catherine.

Pierre Thomey, a pioneer, was born in Luxembourg, and was there reared and educated. In 1858 he came to Stearns county and located on a farm of 160 acres in section 20, Rockville township. There were no roads, Indians were frequent visitors, and the family had to meet all the conditions of pioneer life. Mr. Thomey erected a log cabin, and broke the land. He had to drive to St. Paul for supplies. As an adept at speaking the Chippewa tongue, he was much with the Indians, and turned this greatly to his own advantage. Soon after his marriage he moved to St. Cloud, where he was the first village marshal. Later he returned to the homestead in Rockville township, where he spent the remainder of his days. Pierre Thomey was a jolly soul, a liker of good living, a teller of good stories. He was a true optimist, and having so full a measure of cheer himself, he desired that everyone around him should be happy and contented. He died June 24, 1876. Mr. Thomey married Mary Thill, and this union was blessed with five children: Emily, Joseph, Elizabeth, Marie and Nicholas. The family has been actively associated with the Church of St. James, on Jacob's Prairie, which Pierre Thomey helped to build.

Simon Strobel, retired blacksmith, of St. Cloud, was born in Columbiana, Ohio, October 28, 1849, son of Philip and Genevieve (Blau) Strobel, and grandson of Thomas Strobel. In 1846, Thomas Strobel left Hoehnzollern, Germany, accompanied by his son Philip, and Philip's wife and three children. They located in Columbiana county, Ohio, where Philip worked some seven years at his trade as a stone mason. Before the expiration of this period, Thomas had taken up eighty acres of land in Ashford, Fond du Lac, Wis. Subsequently he returned for the rest of the family. He farmed on this place until within a few years of his death in 1884. Then Philip operated the place until his death in 1896 at the age of seventy-nine. Philip's wife died in 1908 at the age of ninety-one. Simon followed the fortunes of the family in Ohio and Wisconsin, and received such education as the district schools