Bonifacy "Ben" Frank Dolney

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The Dolneys

In 1889, my cousin Ben Dolney came to America and settled in South Dakota for a while, but in 1898 he came to Greenbush and settled in Polonia Township. Then in 1916, my Frank and Aunt Victoria Dolney and family moved to Township and homesteaded. In 1918, my Uncle Albert Dolney came to join his brother in farming and also bought land in the same township. He married Stella Pelowski in 1919 at St. Aloysius. They had to work very hard, for trees had to be felled and the land had to be cleared by hand or horses. In 1927 Ben went to Chicago and married Margaret Cannon, an Irish immigrant born in 1892, and brought her back here, and they settled on his homestead. They had no children. Uncle Frank and Uncle Albert both helped in local happenings such as township boards, school, church, co-ops, and other projects. Most of this was after the Great Depression left a mark on everyone, whether in the rural areas or in town and business. In 1921, my grandparents, Joseph and Rosalia Dolney, settled on a farm in Barto Township. (Mrs. Elizabeth Wojciechowski lives there now.) They had seven children when they came, and five more were born to them. When the cattle were put out to graze, my aunts and uncle Anton had to take turns watching them. My aunts helped with farming, caring for the animals, shocking grain, gardening, canning, whatever else that had to be done to help the family survive. When they wanted to go visiting or to church in the winter, they'd hitch up a sleigh or wagon with horses and load it with straw and blankets and heated stones to keep warm. In the summer, they'd waJk to church or to the neighbors to visit. Sometimes it'd be three, five, or more miles to get there. When they put the cattle out to graze, the older children watched over them. They had to be careful when watching the bull, as he charged them if he got in an ornery mood, as would a "Cow with a calf. They'd make a mad dash for safety. They took turns milking the cows by hand and feeding them. All the families had cattle, chickens, ducks, geese, and a big garden. Everyone carried water for all their needs, from personal to household, to the animals. They'd go out to find berries to make pies, jams, jellies, and to can and even eating raw. Everyone pitched in to make the work lighter and get done faster, from the youngest to the oldest. They were all members of St. Aloysius Catholic Church of Leo. They had no conveniences that we have today, no cars, radios, or televisions until later. In 1927, my Uncle Frank and Aunt Victoria Dolney moved south of Greenbush in Hereim Township (Harvey Dallager lives there now). In 1938, they had a home built near the airport (Bob Pederson lives there now) and lived there the rest of their lives, until Uncle Frank went to stay with his niece, Connie McFarlane, before going into the nursing home. Uncle Frank loved flowers and had a large garden. He sold the produce. He was also a craftsman-who loved making and selling expandable jewelry boxes, sewing boxes, footstools, lawn swings, and other items. Their children are Sophie, Rose, James, Annie, and Theodore. My Uncle Albert and Aunt Stella moved into Greenbush just south of the hospital (Keith Kapphahn now lives there). Uncle Albert liked to read his papers and watch TV. Aunt Stella enjoyed flowers and visitors. Their children are Adelaide, Marcella, Albin, Ambrose, Adrian and Eugene. Their son, Adrian and his wife, Emily took over the farm and now Dale and Mary Kuznia and family farm it. Uncle Frank was born October 4, 1872, in Hastings, Minnesota, and died August 9, 1970, at the Greenbush Nursing Home. Aunt Victoria was born May 30, 1877, in Poland and died November 1, 1957, in Greenbush. Uncle Albert was born December 2, 1891, in Grenville, South Dakota, and died August 21, 1965, in Greenbush. Aunt Stella was born February 28, 1888, in Winona, Minnesota, and died March 22, 1978, in Greenbush. All are buried at Blessed Sacrament Cemetery. Frank Aloysius Dolney, a nephew to Ben and Margaret Dolney, took over the farm. Ben was born December 8, 1869, in Lubinia, Poland and died February 20, 1959, in rural Greenbush. Margaret was born in Ireland on January 20, 1892, and died December 21, 1962, in Greenbush. Frank was born July 29, 1915, in Poland and died December 1, 1985. All are buried at St. Aloysius Cemetery. My aunts and my grandmother loved their families and grandchildren and enjoyed crocheting, knitting, sewing, raising flowers and gardens, making quilts, embroidering, and other crafts and activities. My grandparents, Rosalia and Joseph Dolney, lived in various places in Badger and Greenbush before moving in 1948 to Little Falls where they stayed until their deaths. While they lived in Greenbush, my grandfather helped build Blessed Sacrament Church. Their children are Anton, Connie (McFarlane), Mary, Theresa, Monica, Josephine, Della, Betty, Philip, Cecelia, Esther (my mother), and Theodore. Later on, my grandfather liked watching TV and my grandmother had her geese, ducks, chickens, her garden, and the grapes that grew around the garage. My grandfather resided at St. Otto's Nursing Home in Little Falls when he died. He was born January 29, 1883, in Silver Lake, Minnesota, and died August 31, 1980. Rosalia Dolney was born February 5, 1887, in Grenville, South Dakota, and died August 13, 1982, at St. Gabriel's Hospital. Both are buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Little Falls. Submitted by Mary Ann Johnson, Granddaughter and niece of the Dolneys.