History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties

"History of Lincoln, Oneida, and Vilas Counties Wisconsin"

Compiled by George O.Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others. Printed in 1924 by H.C.Cooper. Jr. & Co., Minneapoli-Winona MN. ill. 787 pages. The first two hundred pages are history of the three counties, the remainder of the book is biographies.

Biography

Lillund, Michael who is operating a farm which he built up from wild land in Section 12, town of Conover, was born in Finland, Feb. 18, 1870. After receiving his education in the schools of his native land he worked on farms there until he was 20 years old, then went to Wasa, Finland, where he worked in the flour mills for two years. He next entered the standing army of Finland, and after serving for three years he came to the United States in 1896 and located at Bessemer, Mich., where he subsequently worked in the iron mines until 1903. In 1902 he purchased 80 acres of wild land in Vilas County, and in 1903 he came here and settled on this property, which he has developed into his present farm. This accomplishment called for a tremendous amount of effort; the place was covered with stumps and hardwood and hemlock timber, and was without buildings or improvements of any sort. On first coming here Mr. LILLUND built a small log cabin to serve as temporary residence; his pathway was beset by obstacles on every hand; the country was a primitive one, and money was none too plentiful in those days. He did not falter in the face of privation and toil, however, and his years of effort have resulted in a fine agricultural property. He built barns and outbuildings; also an underground silo 30 feet deep and extending 6 1/2 feet above the ground, wich is the only one of its kind in the state, and in 1912 he replaced his original residence with a fine frame dwelling house. With 25 acres of the land under the plow, he is carrying on general farming and dairying, having a good herd of Guernsey cattle, and he is also a stockholder in the Eagle River Creamery and Produce Co. He and his family are members of the Swedish Lutheran Church in Section 23, town of Conover, of which Mr. LILLUND was one of the organizers, and he is now its treasurer and one of its trustees. Mr. LILLUND was first married on Aug. 3, 1900, to Reka DAHL, who was born in Finland Nov. 8, 1872. Mrs. Reka LILLUND died Nov. 16, 1908, leaving three children, as follows: Einar, born Nov. 17, 1901; Herbert, born Sept. 11, 1904; and Ellen, born Aug. 9, 1906. On Oct. 28, 1909, Mr. LILLUND, was united with his present wife, who previous to her married to Mr. LILLUND, was Mrs. Lizzie ASPLUND. She was born in Finland Dec. 15, 1875, and came to the United States in 1898; by her previous marriage to Andrew ASPLUND she is the mother of two children: Elsie, born July 2, 1901, and Esther, born July 13, 1904. Four children, as follows, have been born to her union with Mr. LILLUND: Alice, July 23, 1910; Elwin, Feb. 4, 1912; Edna, Aug. 28, 1914; and Eugene, Oct. 28, 1915. All the children are living at home. The family are highly respected in the community; Mr. LILLUND has achieved his success solely through his own hard work, and he may well feel gratified with what he has accomplished.

Transcribed by Susan Swanson, from pages 467 (with picture), History of Lincoln, Oneida and Vilas Counties Wisconsin; Compiled by George O. Jones, Norman S. McVean and Others 1924, H. C. Cooper, Jr. & Co

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