September 13, 1878 – A monument was dedicated on
this date at the gravesite of the first five white victims of the Sioux Uprising.
The two women and three men are buried in a single grave in the Ness Church
cemetery southwest of Litchfield, Minn.
http://www.hmsoa.org/mn/meeker/item/92416-ness-lutheran-church-ness-memorial-cemetery
The first pioneers to settle in this area arrived by
July, 1856, three months after their oxen-drawn prairie schooners left Rock
County, Wisconsin. They were the families of Henrik H. Thoen, Ole H. Ness, Nels
H. Colberg and bachelors Ole H. Thoen, Gunder Olson and Amos N. Fosen. They
organized this community cemetery about one year later, with the first
interment record in March 1858.
In
late summer 1858, circuit minister William Fredrickson of Goodhue County
organized the St. Johannes Lutheran Congregation of Meeker and surrounding
counties at the home of Ole H. Ness. Three years later, in 1861, the
twenty-five member congregation was reorganized as the Ness Norwegian Lutheran
Church of Meeker County.
One
of Minnesota's oldest monuments, dedicated September 13, 1878, marks the common
grave of the first five white settlers killed in the 1862 Sioux Indian War,
which began about six miles to the west. Also interred here is Andreas Olson,
killed by the Indians in September, 1862.
In
1864 the Ness Congregation purchased forty acres of land, which included the
cemetery, for one hundred dollars. In need of a church, since services had been
held in a barn, a granary, and homes, they constructed the present church
building in 1874 at a cost of $798.57. The church sill contains many of its
original furnishings. The baptismal font, hand-hewn from a basswood log by
Ellef Olson, dates from 1875. Also placed in the church that year were glass
candleholders, now lavender with age.
Over
the years, the Ness Lutheran Church has helped to establish more than twenty
other churches. At the last Sunday service in 1968, the 110-year-old
congregation disbanded, leaving the church and its contents to the Ness
Memorial Cemetery Association to be kept as a memorial to its members and the
early pioneers.
Erected
by the Minnesota Historical Society
1970
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bookworm1225/7168099782/
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If you are interested in finding out more about your family history in
Minnesota, I specialize in researching
genealogical and historical records in Minn. and western Wis.,
including: census records, birth records, death certificates, obits, grave site photos,
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intent/naturalization records. I will visit locations to research local
history and county records, as well as take photos. Quick turnaround on MHS
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