In 1889 Far Guys Maternal Grandpa Curt Abbott was one year old, he and his family lived in Wellington County Ontario, Canada. His parents were unhappy living in Canada ( they did not like the crowns taxes). They decided to move to Minnesota.
Their next door neighbors in Canada were the Nunns. They had a young boy, JW Nunn who was sickly. The Doctors in Canada told them that he wouldn’t live long in the Canadian climate. When they heard that the Abbotts were coming to Minnesota..they decided to go too. They all ended up in Lake Eunice Township over by Detroit, which later became known as Detroit Lakes.
Exactly what year they homesteaded in Carsonville Township is in my records someplace..for now I will just say in the mid 1890’s .
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Back to JW Nunn and his story as told to me by his Grandson Jim : My Grandpa JW was so little all his life, even as an adult he never weighed more than 100 pounds. One winter he went into a logging camp with a tote team, you had to make your own bed from spruce boughs, he borrowed a blanket. He felt better after sleeping on those boughs. He felt so much better that he went back and asked for a job at the logging camp. The boss said “Well what can you do here? You don’t even weigh a hundred pounds?” JW replied, “I can keep a good set of books.” The boss gave him two weeks to prove himself, the team would be back in two weeks. He felt stronger than he had in his whole life. He said the the Spruce and Pine Trees saved his life. He did see a Doctor again..just two weeks before he died, when he was 96 years and six months old.
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I am reminded again that this area that we live in now was big timber before it became farm land. A friend of mine shared a few old photos that she got from the Nunn family..thanks Shirley!
** Note this is just one interesting story that was shared with us recently during a visit with Jim and Irene. Neighbors that were born and raised in this area:)
