William Austin was a Farmer.
2 In Memory of William Austin
William Austin grew to young manhood in the Sauk Centre community in the era of the eighties. He left the community in 1892 at age eighteen to return in 1909 to become a successful farmer and respected citizen. The past several winters he lived with his children and grandchildren in Los Angeles, California, or one of its suburban cities. He died there October 16, 1957.
He was placed in Oakland cemetery beside his wife, Martha Kilmer Austin, who died on June 9, 1955.
Two sons precede him in death; one, a baby boy, in 1910 and Donald K. Austin, of Sauk Centre on January 15, 1957 at the age of 52.
Other members of the family in the Oakland lot are a sister of William, two brothers, and his mother and father. Orlando died November 23, 1881, age 27; Amelia Austin Cornwell April 26, 1884, age 29; Chancy Austin June 18, 1884, age 18; his father, Orville September 25, 1896, age 68; his mother, Ann Cooper Austin December 15, 1922, age 85. Of his nine brothers and two sisters, William survived his mother and father the longest.
William's father and mother were born in New York State. They moved to Wisconsin with their parents; his mother's parents to Ashippum, Wisconsin, and his father's to Mapleton. They were married in Dodge county, Wisconsin on March 28, 1852.
William's father was the oldest of five brothers and four sisters, Orville, Orlando, Edwin, Hezekiah and Chauncy, and Mary, Susan, Caroline, and Ann. William's father and uncles all served in the Civil War. His father served in the Second Regiment of the Wisconsin Volunteers. He enlisted September 25, 1861, was mustered in at Racine, Wisconsin and assigned to the Badger State Flying Artillery.
The following article is extracted from a scrap book in the Wisconsin State historical Society: The Badger State Flying Artillery was in Milwaukee. With no equipment they left the state for active service on the 15th of March under orders from St. Louis, Missouri. They embarked on the 19th and proceeding down the Mississippi River, landed on the 21st at Newmandred, where they joined General Pope's command and were ordered to take apart the siege of Island No. 10, then in progress.
Not having yet received their light artillery equipment, they ordered to take charge of heavy siege guns which had been planted along the Missouri banks of the river, in the performance of which duty they were constantly employed until the surrender of the rebel stronghold
on the 8th of April.
Soon afterward the battery was fully equipped, and on the 4th of May, removed to Island No. 10, where they remained engaged in the performance of garrison duty until the 11th of June, when they were transported by steamer to Hickman, Kentucky. Thence they marched on the same day to Union City, Tennessee, joining the Kansas and Wisconsin Brigade, commanded by general R. B. Milhell.
Orville Austin was wounded and taken prisoner at Parker's Cross Roads, Tennessee, December 12, 1862. He was paroled January 1863 and discharged April 6, 1863 for a disability caused by a musket ball through his heel.
William was next to the youngest of nine brothers and two sisters. Four of his brothers and a sister, Orlando, Amelia, Calvin, Charles and John were born before the Civil War. After the war, there were Chauncy, Harry and Hiram, Emma, William and Edgar. William and Edgar were born in Antrim township, Watonwan County, Minnesota. Edgar served in the Philippines during the Spanish American War.
In 1880, when William was six years old, he moved with his parents to the farm in Sauk Centre township on Highway 53, at the fork in the road, where it turns east and over the hill to Melrose, here he lived until age eighteen in 1892 when he went to work for his brothers, Calvin, Charles, and harry on their farms in North Dakota. Following this he went to Madelia in Blue Earth County, Minnesota, where he was employed by his brother, john, and was a partner in a livery stable.
August 14, 1900, William married Martha Kilmer of Madelia, Minnesota. They farmed for nine years near in Blue Earth County, Minnesota. Orville, Dorothy and Donald were born there. In the fall of 1909 they purchased and moved to the Hartley farm northwest of Sauk Centre in Ashley Township. Ted was born that fall.
They operated this farm for 31 years. John Walters and his son, Ralph Walters, operated it for the next ten years. In the fall of 1950 it was sold to the John Barton family. Mr. and Mrs. Austin lived in Sauk Centre after 1940. The year preceding the death of Mrs. Austin, Mr. and Mrs. Austin lived in South San Gabriel, California. Mr. Austin continued to spend the winters in California with his children and grandchildren until his death.
William Austin is survived by his daughter, Dorothy Schaub, of Whittier, California, and sons Fay (Ted) Austin of Costa Mesa, California and Orville Austin of Lansing, Michigan. There are eighteen grandchildren, and sixteen great grandchildren Living in California are Lorraine Schaub Chabot and daughters, renee and Jenean, Baldwin park; Marcella Schaub Thomas, her twins and son, Sharon and Darren and Denise, North San Gabriel,; Ariel Schaub Quintana, and daughters Doreen and Charmain, Rosemead; Rita Schaub Plount and daughter Toni, South San Gabriel; Frederick Schaub and daughters Lane Roe and Lori, la Puente; Dalbert Schauband daughter, Vicki, and son Richard, South San Gabriel; Donald Schaub and daughter ??? Schaub, Whittier; and orville, Dale Austin, and daughter Dorinda Jean, Redlands, California. Orville is a member of the Strategic Air Command and also attends Valley College in San Bernadino.
The grandchildren and great grandchildren in Minnesota are Francis, Florence, Kilmer, Fred, Richard (Dick), Rodney and Dean Austin and daughter Cheri Jean, St. paul; and Gunther Austin, and sons, Timothy and Mark, Sauk Centre. Richard (Dick) is attending the University of Minnesota. James (Jim) Austin is at the Denver, Colorado School of Mines.
William has nine surviving nieces and nephews. Nellie Cornwell Chase lives in Santa Cruz, California; Ruby Austin Cisney, Grace Austin Holmes, and Dr. Floyd Dodds in Seattle, Washington.
Emma Austin and Clayton Milo Dodds, Dr. Floyd's parents, were married December 2, 1892 at the Sauk Centre Methodist church by the Reverend C. E. Lawson. Anna Langley and Harry Austin, the parents of Florence, grace, and Marjorie, were married in Sauk Centre on November 12, 1891. Marjorie Austin Jenz lives at Gwinner, North Dakota, and Florence Austin Sinnamon at Rochester, Indiana. Hiram Austin, Jr. is a native of Idaho.
Surviving nieces an nephews of William in Minnesota are Mabel Austin Eager, Madelia; Luther Austin, Vernon center and Dr. Louie Austin, Rochester. Dr. Louie, because of outstanding contributions to dental surgery, earned the distinction of being included in the Who's Who of the physical sciences. Prior to retirement in 1956 he had been head of the dentistry department at the Mayo Clinic. The writer can recall his father daying with a twinkle in his eye "I spanked Louie one time for riding one of my driving horse to Madelia when he was supposed to be helping Luther shock my grain."
William Austin will be remembered by his family as the provider of stability. To his family, he was the symbol of security and the ideal husband and father. He was always there. It was always a pleasure to be with him. He liked to visit and talk about the everyday things of life.
His appearance in death seemed to the writer to express his personality as it was known to his family; and, as if in death he was at peace with himself, the world, and God; as if he were pleased at the glimpse of the Great beyond before his spirit took itself from his body.
It is written, "In my Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told
you." -by Orville G. Austin.