The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-09-10
N. B. RAsDALL DEAD
WAS A PROMINENT RESIDENT OF
ST. CLAIR FOR YEARS.
Was An Old Soldier, Serving His Coun-
try Faithfully During the Civil
War; Came to Minnesota in an
Early Day; Occupied Position of
Postmaster for Number of Years;
An Active Career.

Melvin B. Rasdall, one of the promi-
nent residents of st. Clair, died short
ly after nine o'clock this morning of
gangrene of the lungs. Mr.. Rasdall had
been i'll for several years and his NAL
ady failed to respond to treatment.
His death was not unexpected.
OF Mr.. Rasdall, writer in "The
History of Blue Earth County" gives,
the story of his active life:
"reminiscences of the early settle
ment of the central northwest cluster
thickly around the name of Rasdall,
and through the efforts of those who
now maintain the prestige of the fam
lily in Minnesota, will as surely be
regarded by posterity as Importantly
allied with the present era of prog
ress. The gift of successful pioneering
seemed a special prerogative of Ken
tuckians during the first half of the
last century, and Able Rasdall was no
exception to the rule. The lure of the
unsettled lake region drew him hither
in early manhood, and he became
cabin builder in Wisconsin while still
the wigwam and trail were predomi-
mating features of the landscape. He
passed through the Black Hawk war
as a captain and he built the first
lodge house in Madison, thus becoming
the unconscious civic father of that
now fiourishing metropolis. In this
house his son, Melvin B. Rasdall was
born Nov. Is, 1S4S. Mr.. Rasdall, and
also his two other sons, all of whom
are prominent in the business life OF
Blue Earth county. Mr.. Rasdall also
erected the City Hotel of Madison, in
lS49 and he built the grist mill twelve
miles north of the village, where he
met an mtimely death in 1856 He
married Lydia Pitcher, native of
New York state and who died in st.
Clair this state, in 1882. A varied ex-
perience has projected Melvin s. Ras-
dali among the prosperous business
men of st. Clair. He was educated in
the public schools and subsequently
became interested in the printing bus
mess which he continued until the
third year in the Civil war. He enlist
ed in. 1864 in Company F, First Min
nesota Heavy Artillery, under Captain
Owens, and thereafter did garrison
duty until the reestablishment of peace
in 1865. For the following five years
he was variously employed as wage
Garner, thus paying his way through
the normal school, and he then en-
gagged in general merchandising for
about three years. At the expiration
of that time he spent a year in the
west and in 1877 established the drug
business which, on and off, he has
conducted ever since. He is variously
identified with local undertakings, is
politically republican and has served
as postmaster several years and as
township assessor six years. He is
fraternally prominent and popular, and
a member of the Independent Order of
Odd Fellows, of which he is past mas
ter, and the Masons. He also is a
member of the Grand Army of the
Republic. Mr. Rasdall is a genial and
approachable gentleman and connected,
commercially and socially with the
DeSC ele11eHG Ill Iut COuHUy.
The funeral will be held some time
during Friday, but the hour had not
been decided on at this writing
Gustave A. Pearson.
| Gustave A. Pearson died at one
o'clock this morning of quick consump-
ton, in local hospital. He came to
Mankato twenty years ago last
April, but for twelve years past had
been a resident of San Jose, Cal. He
was united in marriage last April to
| Miss Josie Anderson, and returned to-
Mankato July IL. Besides his widow,
he leaves his parents in Sweden, and
three brothers, John A. of this city,
/ Claus, who lives in Sweden and Charles,
whose home is i'm Canada. The young
wife and other relatives will have the
sympathy of all in their loss.
! Notice of the funeral will be given