By Norma Dittman Lyle Onken’s yard, just west of Slayton on MN State Highway 30, became a scene of celebration on Saturday, July 25th, when a family reunion was held there to celebrate 100 years of family farm ownership.
The family numbered 80 descendants of Herman John Onken who had gathered to revisit memories, catch up with one another and share stories of the ancestors who had paved the way to the family’s centennial celebration. The reunion was two years in planning with Lyle and his cousin, Judy LaBoda, working cooperatively to notify all of their relatives about the reunion. “Lyle and I talked about it two years ago,” Judy said. “I told Lyle that if he would have the gathering at his place, I’d plan it. We wrote letters and sent emails to let everyone know. Then we just started thinking how to put it all together.”
A few days after the celebration, Lyle and Kay Onken, Linda Wing, and Judy LaBoda visited about the history of their enterprising grandfather’s life. Stories have been kept alive through conversation and print. Actual financial and land transaction records have been kept and also passed down through the years. The family is proud of the man whose life, entrepreneurship, and work ethics started and progressed the Onken family in the Midwest.
Herman John (H.J.) Onken was born on August 9, 1872 at Minonk, Illinois. He was the son of Bernhard and Margaretta (Johnson) Onken. Herman’s father had emigrated to the United States from the Oldenburg, Germany area in about 18651866, and farmed in Woodford County, Illinois. Herman wasn’t quite 15 years of age when his father passed away. He, along with the hired man, Eilert J. Doden, took care of the farming operation. At the age of 21, Herman migrated to Manson, Iowa to begin farming on his own. He was accompanied by his sister Anna Catherine who was his housekeeper for five years.
Herman proved to be fastidious about financial record keeping, leaving behind a tale of many purchases and assets sold throughout the years. Lyle pointed out one record that notated a list of crops and livestock sales in 1885. It stated. “4 head of cattle for $67.50, 14 head of hogs for $108.80, 2,047.32 bushels of oats at 11 cents for $233.20, 171.80 bushel of wheat at 30 cents for $51.55, 1,213 bushels of corn and another 553 bushel of corn at 16.75 cents, and hay sales of $24.92.” He also kept records of each land transaction that he made. “He was always on the move – looking for something better,” Lyle stated.
Banking records were kept by Herman that mention just one of the many banks he dealt with being the First National Bank of Iona, MN. Another was the First National Bank of Slayton. (Those transaction records were made prior to Herman coming to live in the Iona-Avoca-Slayton area.)
In 1897, Herman moved to Sibley, Iowa, and always being an enterprising man, he purchased a steam engine and threshing machine. It was through this business that Herman met Katherine Helena Timmerman. The couple were married on January 30, 1901. (The record books for the threshing business are in the possession of his grandson, Lyle.)
Throughout their marriage, Herman and Katherine moved many times, as they purchased farm land in Iowa, North Dakota, and Minnesota, and even Nebraska.
In March of 1913, Herman and Katherine moved to a farm near Avoca. They had purchased it from John and Cecelia Cajacob for a total of $20,800. Then on December 29, 1917, Herman purchased farm land located in Section 7, Section 8, Section 17 and Section 18 - all in Lake Sarah Township.
The purchase included 1,025 acres which was known as The Lake Sarah Stock Farm. “When Grandpa sold the Lake Sarah Stock Farm, he was defrauded in the sale,” Lyle said. “He sold it to Nels Anderson of Balaton. As part of the agreement, Anderson traded a 299 acre farm in Nebraska to Herman – which Anderson never actually had the deed to. Because of the fraud, grandpa had difficulty with the Internal Revenue Service. Once the IRS was done with their research, they determined that grandpa did not have to file a return for the year 1921 because his net income was less than $3,000, and he had his wife and 7 dependent children all under the age of 18.”
Herman and Katherine moved their family to a farm near Iona, MN in 1920. They lived there until 1926. The last farm transaction made by Herman was when he purchased a farm at Hadley, MN. This became the Onken family farm, and it is where that Lyle and Kay still live. The land is farmed by their son, Alan.
Herman died in a farm accident on July 31, 1930 at the age of 57 years. “Grandma Katherine was widowed for 39 years,” Linda Wing said. “She passed away in 1969.”
Children born to Herman and Katherine included Bernard, Herman Jr., Carl, Edison, Helen, William, Edison, Bill, Delbert, Ray, Vernon and Claramae. Two more of the couple’s children passed away in 1913: daughter Wilma (William’s twin) and Helma (Born September 21st and died before she was two months old on November 13th. Linda and Lyle are children of William and Delma Onken. Judy’s father was Vernon.
“We had 15 Onken cousins who lived within two miles of one another,” Judy said. “We had so much fun together! We half-way filled the bus to and from school!”
The cousins visited about the wonderful day spent together celebrating the 100th year of the Onken farm. They remarked about relatives coming from eight states, with the furthest ones attending from the state of Idaho.
