BOOK - HISTORY OF GOODHUE COUNTY, MN. PUBLISHED IN 1909. F. W. Kohn, of Florence township, was born in Hay Creek township April 24, 1856, son of Frederick and Sophia (Vesphal) Kohn, natives of Mecklenburg, Germany, who came to America in 1853 and located in New York state, remaining three years. In 1856 they came to Hay Creek township, where they took up a homestead, which the father cleared and improved, and carried on general farming until a few years before his death, when they moved to Florence township. The father died in 1900 and the mother in 1906. F. W. Kohn received his education in the public schools of the township, and after being employed by others for a while, engaged in farming for himself on a place of 264 acres, of which 140 is under cultivation. He has made many improvements on the place, built a fine house and barns, and carries on general and diversified farming, also dairying. He was married March 14, 1882, to Louise Isensee, daughter of Henry and Caroline (Opperman) Isensee, natives of Brunswick, who came to the United States in 1852, remaining in New York for one year, after which they came to St. Paul. They remained only a short time in St. Paul, and then went to Florence township, where the father engaged in his trade of plasterer and stone mason. He plastered the first house in Red Wing. He carried all his supplies to Florence from Red Wing, sometimes using ox teams. Mr. and Mrs. Kohn have three children living: Clara married John Steffenhagen; Caroline and Fred live at home. Louis, the oldest, died in 1898, at the age of fifteen years. Mr. Kohn is a Republican in politics, has served on the town board four years, and has been clerk of school district No. 93 for the past twenty-two years.