Anton Nesges

Anton Nesges was my great-grandmother's (Margaret Thome) brother. .I believe the Nesges came from the same area in Germany, Trier, as the Thomes. Anton Nesges is listed as one of Minnesota's pioneers.

The following is taken from the East Otter Tail County History: Taylor Publishing Co. page 202.

It is fitting to note that Anton Nesges. one of the earliest settlers in East Otter Tail County took claim to 240 acres of land in the ealy 1860's and this farmis still owned by his grandson, Arthur Nesges. Arthur's brother Anton has a farm adjacent to his.

As other early settlers and ancestors moved elsewhere, Anton Nesges left Northern Germany as a young man hoping to find his fortume in famous America. He boarded a sailboat in Hamburg, Germany and landed in Brooklyn, New York after a rough voyage of two weeks. He found work in a sugar factory. People were urged to settle in Minnesota by Catholic missionaries. Peter Pfeffer, Matt Rohr, Nicholas Kaufman and Adolph Schmitz soon followed him to claim land in the wilderness. There were plenty of logs to cut so the settlers proceeded to build log cabins.

Anton married Clara Schmitz around 1870. They had a happy marriage and raised two boys and 5 girls. Anton was a prosperous farmer and a staunch Catholic. Every Sunday. when possible. he went to Wadena to attend Mass in a little frame church.

His parents migrated to America and produced a farm near Wadena. In 1876, they helped start a Catholic church in Compton Township. All Anton's relatives moved to Oklahoma.

Meinrad, one of Anton's sons, married Josie Geiser. Clara, a daughter, married and became Mrs. Clara Arnold. Anton died on 12/17/1909 at the age of 72. Clara, his wife, died in 1930 at the age of 76.