Individual Details
Mathias Ahles
(September, 1832 - January 2, 1910)
Lived in Rockville Township, MN. He was a Civil War Vet.
Transcribed by Phil Holm from "History of the Upper Mississippi Valley" Minnesota Historical Company, circa 1881. Contents: Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota by Edward D. Neill.
"Mathias Ahles, one of the first settlers, was born in Prussia, in September, 1832, enjoying the school privileges of his native land, and being employed on a farm until 1854, when he emigrated to the United States.
He lived one year in the state of Illinois, then removed to Stearns County, Minnesota, first locating in St. Joseph, and the following spring removed to his farm in Rockville, which has been his home ever since.
Married Miss Elizabeth Fischbach, on the 10th of April, 1864. They have seven children living. His mother eighty-two years old, makes her home with him."
Exerpts from the book, "All I Know About the Roots and Shoots of the Joseph and Elizabeth Nett Ahles Family" by Antonette Ahles, OSF, 1992 (distributed to family):
Mathias Ahles came to Minnesota first, in 1855, probably after the harvest season, and went to St. Joseph for a few months. The following spring he acquired land for a farm in Rockville Township.
About Stearns County: History
Long before the first European settlers called it home, Stearns County's land was home to the Ojibwa and Dakota Indians. Stearns County borders the Mississippi River, the largest waterway in Minnesota, and was included in many explorers' travels, including the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805.
However, it was not until relatively late that the area attracted settlers. The first immigrants, many of them German Catholics, began arriving in 1854, four years before Minnesota became a state. The area was at this time included within the extensive boundaries of Cass County.
What is now Stearns County was officially established on February 20, 1855. Originally the name Stevens County was used, to honor Governor Isaac I. Stevens, who had conducted an expedition to the area in 1853. However, the name was changed to Stearns to honor Charles Thomas Stearns. Charles Stearns was a member of the Territorial Council, and had taken an active part in securing the passage of the bill establishing the county. Stearns moved to St. Cloud the following year and became a prominent member of the developing city. His Stearns Hotel became the original building on the St. Cloud State University campus.
Wheat and other cash crops thrived in the rich Central Minnesota soil. The county's reputation for good farmland spread quickly, and by the beginning of the 20th century, the county's population had grown to 44,464.
Transcribed by Phil Holm from "History of the Upper Mississippi Valley" Minnesota Historical Company, circa 1881. Contents: Explorers and pioneers of Minnesota by Edward D. Neill.
"Mathias Ahles, one of the first settlers, was born in Prussia, in September, 1832, enjoying the school privileges of his native land, and being employed on a farm until 1854, when he emigrated to the United States.
He lived one year in the state of Illinois, then removed to Stearns County, Minnesota, first locating in St. Joseph, and the following spring removed to his farm in Rockville, which has been his home ever since.
Married Miss Elizabeth Fischbach, on the 10th of April, 1864. They have seven children living. His mother eighty-two years old, makes her home with him."
Exerpts from the book, "All I Know About the Roots and Shoots of the Joseph and Elizabeth Nett Ahles Family" by Antonette Ahles, OSF, 1992 (distributed to family):
Mathias Ahles came to Minnesota first, in 1855, probably after the harvest season, and went to St. Joseph for a few months. The following spring he acquired land for a farm in Rockville Township.
About Stearns County: History
Long before the first European settlers called it home, Stearns County's land was home to the Ojibwa and Dakota Indians. Stearns County borders the Mississippi River, the largest waterway in Minnesota, and was included in many explorers' travels, including the Lewis and Clark expedition in 1805.
However, it was not until relatively late that the area attracted settlers. The first immigrants, many of them German Catholics, began arriving in 1854, four years before Minnesota became a state. The area was at this time included within the extensive boundaries of Cass County.
What is now Stearns County was officially established on February 20, 1855. Originally the name Stevens County was used, to honor Governor Isaac I. Stevens, who had conducted an expedition to the area in 1853. However, the name was changed to Stearns to honor Charles Thomas Stearns. Charles Stearns was a member of the Territorial Council, and had taken an active part in securing the passage of the bill establishing the county. Stearns moved to St. Cloud the following year and became a prominent member of the developing city. His Stearns Hotel became the original building on the St. Cloud State University campus.
Wheat and other cash crops thrived in the rich Central Minnesota soil. The county's reputation for good farmland spread quickly, and by the beginning of the 20th century, the county's population had grown to 44,464.
Events
| Birth | September, 1832 | Obersgegen, Germany | |||
| Marriage | April 10, 1864 | Elizabeth Fischbach | |||
| Death | January 2, 1910 | Luxemburg, Stearns Co., MN |
Families
| Spouse | Elizabeth Fischbach (1847 - 1920) |
| Child | Catherine Ahles (1865 - ) |
| Child | Elizabeth Ahles (1866 - ) |
| Child | John L. Ahles (1867 - 1933) |
| Child | Paulina "Pauline" Ahles (1868 - ) |
| Child | Mary Ahles (1869 - 1936) |
| Child | Mathias Ahles (1870 - ) |
| Child | Rosa Ahles (1871 - ) |
| Child | Michael Ahles (1872 - ) |
| Child | Gretchen Ahles (1873 - ) |
| Child | Anna M. Ahles (1874 - ) |
| Child | Ben Ahles (1875 - ) |
| Father | Mathias "Mathew" Ahles (1803 - 1850) |
| Mother | Margaretha "Margaret" Schmartz (1799 - 1882) |
| Sibling | Mathias "Mathew" Ahles (1825 - 1845) |
| Sibling | Christopher "Christ" Ahles (1827 - 1913) |
| Sibling | Johann Baptist Ahles (1829 - ) |
| Sibling | Nicholas Ahles (1834 - 1844) |
| Sibling | Johann "John" B. Ahles Sr. (1836 - 1921) |
| Sibling | Fredrick Wilhelm Ahles (1837 - ) |
| Sibling | Magdalena Ahles (1841 - 1850) |
| Sibling | Boy Ahles (1843 - 1843) |