The Land of the Jesmer’s In Greenbush Township MN in 1914
The Land of the Jesmer’s In Greenbush Township MN in 1914
Link to Joseph A. Jesmer and Maryanne’s page
Link to the Greenbush Catholic Church page
Family Picnics at the Jesmer farm
How Joseph A. Jesmer came to Greenbush Township Minnesota
What the original log cabin might have looked like
Joseph A. Jesmer selling his farm 3-25-1897. It lets you know what was raised on the farm.
Have you ever thought about visiting the Jesmer homeland in Minnesota? They transplanted themselves from Upper State New York in the 1860’s. Joseph A. Jesmer and Maryanne came in 1867. They landed in the French Settlement in Greenbush Township MN, about 16 miles from Princeton MN. From this location many of the Jesmer’s launched out west to western USA and Canada. This is the 1914 land plat of Greenbush township. In the bottom left is the Jesmer land. The land where the church was belonged to Joseph A. Jesmer, my great great grandfather. The roads changed in the photo. It looks like Joseph’s farm was a grain field in 1938. Moses Jesmer farmed land, south and west of the church. It too was a grain field in 1938. He was Joseph’s son. He died in 1916. His children went to an orphanage. I see that the Grow’s farmed a little north. Some of the Grows were related to the Jesmers. I see Nelson Robideau. Robideau’s were related. I see a Plumondore in the bottom left. That is a French-Canadian name. I think that whole area where these names are mentioned is the land of the French Settlement. It looks like Mr Eaton owned land on the west and Mr Fenske owned land in the west.
Joseph A. Jesmer
My g-g father Joseph A. Jesmer and his wife Maryanne first settled on the land. They moved there in 1867. There were about 20 “jesmer” and relatives in the area. It was called the French Settlement because they were all descended from French Canadians near Cornwall Ontario. They moved from the Hogansburg/Bombay area in upper state New York. Joseph A. Jesmer donated some of his land to build the church and the cemetery. Prior to that the church met in their home. They had dances and large picnics there. In his late 60’s, Joseph did not want to farm. His son Lewis tried for a few years, but gave it up to go back to selling suits in Princeton. Moses, Joseph’s son may have tried, but Moses died in 1916. After his death the house caught fire and Mae couldn’t keep the kids. They went to an orphanage.
Joseph died in 1901 of a stroke. Joseph’s younger son, Hubert did not want to farm. He joined the circus and then ranched in Montana and then moved to Manitoba. Mr. Crossman told me that the barn at the Old Jesmer place came fell down in the 1940’s. Joseph first build a log cabin there and then developed a prosperous farm. Joseph and Maryanne Robideaux Jesmer raised 14 kids there and also two died as babies. She died in 1889 of cancer. I guess the older kids raised the younger kids.
Some arial photos in 1938. You can see the farms in the area, with their outlying buildings. Moses and Joseph A. Jesmer’s farm would gave been similar. However they are grain fields in 1938.
Arial picture of the church and cemetery on Joseph A. Jesmer’s land. Picture taken in 1938
Notice the steeple in the shadow of the church.
A Picture of a collapsing barn in MN (not the Jesmer barn.) The Jesmer barn collapsed around 1940.
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