A Brief History Of Joseph A. Jesmer    (written by Kevin Jesmer)

Return to Joseph A. Jesmer’s page         Return to Nelson A. Jesmer’s page     Return to Jesmer family History page

The Jesmer family was involved in the “Great Western Expansion” which occurred throughout the nineteenth century in the USA and Canada. For three generations the Jesmer family lived in and farmed the St. Lawrence Valley, near Massena N.Y. and Cornwall Ontario. They were hard working French Canadian Catholic farmers. But in 1867 a landmark event occurred. Two men, Joseph Duhaut-Jasmin and his son Joseph A. Jesmer, along with twenty three other family members, made decisions to leave their old lives in Upper State New York and embrace the hard life as pioneering farmers on the western frontier. Perhaps they were enticed by the lure of cheap farm land. Perhaps they were encouraged by the Catholic church to move west. Whatever the reasons, they, twenty five in all, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends, all packed their bags with all they could and traveled towards Minnesota. They stopped in Taylor Falls, on the Mn/Wisc border and purchased land. They also stopped in St. Paul and moved about 60 miles north to Greenbush Township that fall. Initially Joseph A. Jesmer purchased 160 acres of land on section 32, about seven miles west of Princeton MN. It was an area of dense timber. There, in Greenbush Township they built a log cabin and established the “French Settlement”. Some began to farm, some began to work in the forest industry, others opened stores and still others carried on to destinations further west. Many settled in the surrounding towns like St. Cloud, Princeton, Duelm, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Joseph A. Jesmer was born on January 5, 1832 and raised in the Massena/Raquette River area of Franklin County, Upper State New York. He was the eldest of ten children born to Joseph Duhaut-Jasmin and Julie Plamandon. His father was a farmer, but early in life, Joseph decided
to work on one of the many ships that transported goods along the St. Lawrence River. He began to work on a boat on the St. Lawrence River and was faithful to his work until he became the captain of the ship.

In 1846, at the age of twenty four years old, he married his first wife, Mary Ann Robideaux at St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Hogansburg, New York. There he began to build his large family. He and Mary Ann had six children while living in Hogansburg: 1. Nelson Adulphus (b. Oct 12, 1857), 2. Sidney Joseph (b. April 1, 1859), 3. Mary Jane (b. Oct. 14, 1860), 4. Lewis (b. July 1862 5. William Edward (b. May 1864), 6. Joseph lll (b. March 1867)

In 1867, at the age of thirty two, Joseph and his wife, Mary Ann and six of their young children, as well as fifteen close relatives decided to make to 1200 miles trek to South/central Minnesota. The journey was most likely by train to MPLS MN and then by wagon for there was a road system to St Cloud.

According to Janet Evers, a Jesmer descendent, now dead, “The four Jesmer brothers arrived in the area about 1867 and Nelson Grow and Adeline Jesmer in 1869. The Robideaux’s, other Grow’s, DeShaw’s, Belair’s, etc. came along later.” Traveling west, they would stop in Taylor Falls, on the MN/Wisc border, and purchased land from the federal government, who was eager to sell the land and set up new communities in order to collect taxes.( According to the Bureau of Land management: Eastern States. 7450 Boston Boulevard Springfield VA 22153-3121 att. GLO Records Access Section)… Joseph purchased Section 32, township 36-N, Range 27W, Fraction Section: N, Meridian 4th principle, Meridian-1831 Minnesota/Wisconsin, Acres = 160, Mille Lacs County, Document No. 499, Misc Document Number = 583, Authority= May 20, 1862, Homestead entry = 12 sat. 392. Signature present = yes, signature date = 9/1/1874, Land Office = Taylor Falls. (a person can order this document)They landed in St. Paul and stayed until the fall
when they traveled 60 miles north to Greenbush Township and built a log cabin in the densely wooded area. Simply speaking, his land is seven miles west of Princeton. (When traveling on Highway 95, turn south on 160th street and turn east on 20th street and you will be on the north edge of section 32. His land was the north half of section 32.)

When Joseph and his family arrived the area was wilderness. There was some logging going on. Joseph came with his two brothers, Adulphus D. Jesmer, and Nelson Edward Jesmer. Between the three brothers all they had was $1.65 and a sack of flour. Together they built a log cabin and began the long arduous task of clearing the land and planting crops. Nelson E. Jesmer began to work in a logging camp where he saved his money and later opened a general store in Princeton and did very well for himself. (His general store was a large brick building called the
NJB building. “Nelson Jesmer Building”. (He had two stores and an opera house on top of the 2nd store) Eventually it burnt down. Adulphus D. stayed with Joseph and continued to farm. According the “The History of the Upper Mississippi Valley” (p. 678) Joseph’s farm grew until it was a, “well improved farm of 320 acres.” Which is one half of a section.

The following are excerpts from, “History of Mille Lacs County”. by Historical Research inc. From the Depot Museum. Released by the Mille Lacs County Historical Society 101 south 10th Ave. Princeton Minnesota 55371 612-389-1296. Dr. Norene A. Roberts, principal investigator.
July 1985. (reference are not included in this e-mail) It was given to better understand the world the Joseph A. Jesmer lived in.

“Permanent settlement in Mille Lacs area lagged behind other parts of the state. Little development occurred prior to the panic of 1857, and the ensuing depression reduced immigration and capital spending for the remainder of the decade. The Sioux uprising in the summer of 1862 in the southern part of the state and the fear of a similar Chippewa revolt in Mille Lacs County further deterred permanent settlement.

It was not until after the conclusion of the Civil War that lumbering on a large scale and significant local development occurred. Development was facilitated in 1864 when the state legislature authorized the construction of a road from St. Cloud to lake Superior. By the summer of 1864 this road was complete into Mille Lacs County. The construction of this road meant that supplies could be regularly shipped and delivered to the lumbering camps and the few settlements that existed in the county. The road was an immense improvement over the frequently impassible Federally built road which had been constructed in the mid 1850’s. One effect of this road was to give St. Cloud merchants a virtual monopoly on supplies for the Rum
River lumbering areas.

Despite the increase in lumbering activity, in the 1860’s and 1870’s Princeton remained the only place of permanent settlement within the county. Hotels, several stores and a steam-powered sawmill were the first buildings to be built in the 1850’s. IN 1867 Benjamin Soule
built a sawmill. Three years later he also built a flour mill, powered by water with a capacity of twenty tons a day. Within several years, two other flour mills were operating within the city.

Service businesses located in Princeton and bolstered its economy. Doctors such as E.C. Gile, from New York, were drawn to this previously underserved area, as were shop keepers and merchants. The county’s first newspaper began publication in December, 1873, but survived for little over two years. R.C. Dunn commenced publication of the Princeton Union in 1876, and continued as publisher of this paper until his death in 1918. The bank of Princeton first began operations in 1880.

Another local industry established about this time was brick-making. Beginning with the Duncan (Dunton?) Brickyard in 1876, Princeton became one of the largest brick producing areas in the state. This early Princeton brick is recognizable by its distinctive reddish-orange color. This industry was active until about 1910, when new types of brick, new technology, and economies of scale forced all but the largest brickyards out of business.”

“…With the construction in 1882 of the Minneapolis and St. Cloud Railroad, a branch line of the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba, from St. Cloud to Duluth, Mille Lacs County obtained its first direct railroad access to the rest of the state. Transportation to the Twin Cities was facilitated in 1886 when the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railway built its line from Elk River north, through Princeton, to the existing line….”

“Agricultural settlement first began in the grassland areas near Princeton about 1855. In 1859 there were six farms in the county, with a total of 86 improved acres. Most early farming was merely incident to the lumber industry. Settlers opening farms left their families in their little breakings while they spent winters and spring in the woods and on log drives. When fall came, the remaining hardwoods could be cut for railway ties and for cordwood. The lumber camps served as a ready market for produce grown on these farms.

By 1881 the amount of cultivated land had jumped to nearly 4,000 acres, still small in comparison to counties to the west and to the south, but a substantial gain from earlier levels. As a probable result, less food needed to be imported from other parts of the state, which at that time was expensive due to the relatively primitive state of transportation facilities in the area. The crop statistics for 1881 show wheat the major crop, followed by oats, corn, and barley and rye in small amounts. Potatoes were a major crop as well. Other products included sugar cane, tobacco, wool, butter, cheese and honey. At this time, agricultural production was almost exclusively concentrated in the southern townships of Princeton, Milo, and Greenbush.

The demise of lumbering in Mille Lacs county neatly corresponds to the largest period of agricultural growth in the county. Beginning in the 1890’s and continuing into the first decade of this century many of the cutover lumber lands and hardwood forests were cleared and either planted or used for pasture, depending on the soil conditions. Dairy farming increased in importance, as transportation advances allowed milk and dairy products to be shipped to the Twin Cities. Creameries, usually organized on a co-operative basis, were established in nearly all the communities in the county. Potatoes continued to be a leading crop in the southern part of the county, reaching a production peak of 661,494 bushels in 1919. Wheat production peaked in 1899. It declined following the development of large-scale wheat producing farms in the western part of the state and in the Dakotas.”

According to a letter written by Janet Evers the people associated with the Jesmers were either relatives or friends. “They were like a clan and didn’t like outsiders like the Minnesota Swedes”. She remembers going to her grandparent’s farm and seeing all of the French people by themselves on the lawn speaking French. She stated that the New York French stuck together for so many years, marrying back and forth. She stated that the first two generations that came to Minnesota did the same thing.

Joseph A. Jesmer’s life was not without tragedy. At 42 years old a baby died when it was only two days old. At 55 years old his first wife, Mary Ann died of cancer. At 56 his father, Joseph Duhaut-Jasmin, who apparently followed him to Minnesota, died on February 2, 1888. And at 57 years old his teenage daughter, Ida died on April 13, 1889, at the age of fourteen.

But despite of these tragedies, Joseph went on with his life. He began the long task seeing his 13 children marry. Nelson Adulphus married in 1885 and again around 1891. Sidney married 12/25/1890, Mary Jane married 10/28/1882, Lewis 1/14/1895, William on 1/25/1894, Joseph on 1/14/1895, Eunice on 10/6/1892, Eugenia on 1/3/1898. (The rest of Joseph’s children married after his death.) On March 31, 1891, Joseph himslef married a woman named Rose Mallotte. So between 1880 and 1898, Joseph had two new born children (Luella b. dec 22, 1880) and Hubert( b. April 15, 1884.)He buried his teenage daughter Ida (April 13, 1889) and his first wife, Mary Ann (July 26, 1889), and his father, Joseph Duhaut-Jasmin (Feb 2, 1888). He married off seven of
his children and he, himself married his second wife, Rose Mallotte (on April 1, 1891), not to mention he became the grandfather to approximately 19 grandchildren. (while he was living) One can imagine all of the christenings that this French Catholic family attended. All of these factors, coupled with the daily hard work that farm life demands, and the fact that he would have sent many of his children out west. He died of a stroke on September 28, 1901, at 68 years old. Joseph A. Jesmer lived a very busy life, both in his early years as a pioneer farmer and in his later years as a father, and grandfather. There was no time to despair or be depressed about the tragedies in his life.

Joseph’s obituary could be found in the Princeton paper. It reads, “Princeton, Mille Lacs County, Minnesota. Thursday, October 3, 1901…A Greenbush Pioneer” …Death of Joseph Jesmer at three score and ten…One of the pioneers of this section..close of a useful life.

Joseph Jesmer, of Greenbush, who suffered an appopleptic stroke last Tuesday, mention of which was made in the Union last week, died at his home last Friday at 2 a.m. He never regained consciousness, the attack affecting the whole system and proving fatal in a short time.

The funeral was held on Monday at the Greenbush church at 10:30a.m., and was attended by a large number of relatives and friends. Rev. Father Levings said Mass, and the sermon was preached by Father George, of Pittsburg, Pa. The interment was in Greenbush cemetery.

Among the relatives from a distance who were present at the funeral were: Joseph Jesmer jr., of Norway, Michigan. A.D. Jesmer of Park Rapids, Minn., Miss Libbie Grow, of St Paul, Joe Lafontisee, of St. Paul, brother of Mr. Jesmer’s widow. And E.G. Waldhoff, of North Branch, son-in-law of Mr. Jesmer.

Joseph Jesmer was born in Franklin county, New York, in 1831, when that region was a wilderness, and with the other members of the family assisted his parents in clearing out a habitation in that new country. Young Jesmer left the farm when he became a young man and went to boat in on the St. Lawrence river, which occupation he followed until he became the captain of a boat. In 1867 in company with his wife and six children , his brothers A.D. and N.E. Jesmer he started west, landing in St. Paul and coming the fall of the year to this section, and locating on what is now Greenbush. Then the region was a wilderness of dense timber, and they hewed out a cabin of logs for their future home. His two brothers were not married, and the three brothers, after purchasing a sack of flour, had $1.65 between them. A.D. Jesmer remained with Joseph while the other brother, now the prosperous merchant of Princeton, came to the frontier logging camp and worked for Wm. F. Dunham for some time. Joseph and A.D. remained in Greenbush, where Joseph remained until his death. His first wife was Mary Ann Robideaux, whom he married before coming west. She bore him fourteen children, ten of whom are still living. His wife died nine years ago, and seven years ago he married Rosa Mallotte (widow) of St. Lawrence county, New York, who survives him.

Besides N.E. Jesmer, of Princeton, there is another brother Moses, who lives in Denver. A few years ago A.D. Jesmer moved to Park Rapids Minn., where he now resides. There are three sisters living, Mrs. Peter Robideaux, Mrs. N.A. Grow, (widow) both of Greenbush, and Mrs
Mina Parsian, residing in Port Huron, Mich.

Mr. Jesmer was one of the most enterprising and progressive farmers of Greenbush and during his long residence there always took great interest in the welfare of the town. He never sought public honors, preferring to perform his duty as a common but faithful and loyal citizen. He belonged to a class of good, sturdy pioneers to whose untiring energy the progressive West owes a great deal.” (The obituary was received from Sue Kirkey: geneologist)
>
Rose, Joseph’s second wife, had been married to Joe Mallotte. They came to Minnesota in 1883. But her husband, Joe, died on Sept. 28, 1889. But she married Joseph A. Jesmer on April 1, 1891 and became the step mother to about six of his children who were still living at home. They remained married for nine and one half years until Joseph died of a stroke on Sept. 28, 1901. Later Rose lived with her step son, Sidney Jesmer in Princeton MN., until her death in 1911. (of Bright’s disease)

The following is the obituary of Rose Jesmer, Joseph A. Jesmer’s second wife… “Death of Mrs. Rose Jesmer. Mrs. Rose Jesmer died at the home of her son-in-law, Sidney Jesmer, in this village at 10 o’clock on Tuesday evening , June 27. Death was caused by a complication of ailments superinduced by Bright’s disease. Mrs Jesmer would have lived to 73 had she lived until August 3 of this year.

Funeral services will be held at the Catholic church, Princeton, tomorrow morning and the interment will be in the Greenbush Catholic cemetery. Rev Father Levings will conduct the services.

Mrs Jesmer was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, on August 3, 1838, and on February 2, 1863, was married to Joseph Mallotte at Hogansburg N.Y.. Shortly after her marriage she and her husband went to Canada. In 1883 the family came to Minnesota and settled on a farm in Greenbush. Her husband died on October 30, 1886, and on April 1, 1891, she married Joseph Jesmer, who died on September 28, 1901. Since his death she made her home with her children and step children. She leaves five children. Mrs., Sidney Jesmer, Princeton, Mrs. Louis Jesmer, Baldwin, Louis Mallotte, Greenbush, Joseph Mallotte, and Mrs. Wm. Paul, Marble Minn. There were no children by the second husband. Ten step children, two brothers, and fourteen grandchildren also survive her.

Mrs. Jesmer was one of the kindest of women, loved by all who knew her. She lived her life in accord with the golden rule – doing unto others as she would be done by. Her step children loved her as they did their own mother, for she proved worthy of their affection. Her children, step children, and hosts of friends will greatly miss this true Christian woman.” (the obituary was sent by Sue Kirkey…genealogist)

Hogansburg, then moved to CAN, then Greenbush 1883. Rose & Joseph Mallotte were 2nd cousins.

Rose’s death certificate states that she the daughter of Lewis Lafontisee & Miss “Plumidore”. She married Joseph Malotte in NY & they migrated to MN together. He died here. She married Joseph Jesmer, son of Joseph Jasmin & Julia Plamondon when she was 52, he was 58. It was a 2nd marriage for him, too. (his first wife was Marie Anne Robideau, d/Louis Robideau & Felicite Vivais, s/ Peter & Joseph) (Joseph Jesmer donated the property for the Greenbush Cmtry & church.)

1895- MN, Mille Lacs, Greenbush- Rose is married to Joseph Jesmer. She states that she moved to MN 11 years prior <1884>.

1900 Rosa Jesmer is a patient at the Fergus Falls Hospital in Otter Tail Co, MN. She states that she has had 5 children, all living,

1905 – MN, Carlton, Thompson
“Rousa” Jesmer, with her two sons, Louis Malotte & Joseph J Malotte are living in Carlton Co, MN.

29 June 1911, Princeton Union
Mrs. Rose Jesmer died at the home of her son-in-law, Sidney Jesmer, in this village at 10 o’clock on Tuesday evening, June 27. Death was caused by a complication of ailments superinduced by Bright’s disease. Mrs. Jesmer would have reached the age of 73 had she lived until August 3 of this year.
Funeral services will be held at the Catholic church, Princeton, tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock and the interment will be in the Greenbush Catholic cemetery. Rev. Father Levings will conduct the services.
Mrs. Jesmer was born in St. Lawrence county, New York, on August 3, 1838, and on February 2, 1863, was married to Joseph Mallotte at Hogansburg, N.Y. Shortly after her marriage she and her husband went to Canada. In 1863 the family came to Minnesota and settled on a farm in Greenbush. Her husband died on October 30, 1889, and on April 1, 1891, she married Joseph Jesmer, who died on September 28, 1901. Since his death she has made her home with her children and step-children. She leaves five children, viz., Mrs. Sidney Jesmer, Princeton; Mrs. Louis Jesmer, Baldwin; Louis Mallotte, Greenbush; Joseph Mallotte and Mrs. Wm. Paul, Marble, Minn. There were no children by the second husband. Ten stepchildren, two brothers, two sisters, and 14 grandchildren also survive her.
Mrs. Jesmer was one of the kindest women, loved by all who knew her. She lived a life in accord with the golden rule- doing unto others as she would be done by. Her stepchildren loved her as they did their own mother, for she proved worthy of their affection. Her children, stepchildren, and hosts of friends will greatly miss this true christian woman.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mercierhedlund/pafn22.htm

Joseph was buried with his wife Mary Ann and his daughter Ida, at the same gravesite in Greenbush Catholic Cemetery, on section 32, Greenbush Township, Mill Lacs County MN. ( The cemetery is about seven miles west of Princeton MN, off of Hwy 95. Tune south on 160th st. and proceed about 3/4 of a mile. Turn east on Apple road and go about ½ mile. Turn north on 155th and go 1/4 mile. Turn south on 20th for a few hundred yards and the cemetery is on your right. (036/27/32/NEN?))The cemetery is a tiny cemetery, in the middle of section 32, with about 20 headstones. It is difficult to find as it is a tiny obscure cemetery and nobody seems to know where it is. Most of the headstones are old and faded. Some are of new marble. Joseph’s gravestone is white, not marble. It is about four feet tall, thin, four sided in an obelisk shape. Each side is a tall thin cross. On the north side is Joseph, on the west is Mary Ann, and on the south is Ida. The other side is blank. On the west side, near the edge if the cemetery, is a small white faded gravestone. It is one foot high and rounded. The top of the stone is faded and can not be read. The bottom says, “the children of J&M.A. Jesmer 1871? and 1879.” The dates are not easy to read. Could this be the stone of their two day old baby? The grave yard is mowed and well kept. There is a sign with black lettering saying, “Greenbush Catholic Cemetery” with black crosses on either side of the word “Catholic”. The cemetery is surrounded by a wire fence. There are a few houses around, the owners of which farm 60-145 acres. There are many trees and fields of corn or potatoes. There are two barns, probably built in the 1940’s, but none of the original buildings appear to exist. I took note that Joseph was buried with his first wife and not with his second wife.