"Born at Marblehead, Mass., Apr. 1, 1856; married in Brown County, Minn., Alice S. Miner, Sept. 11, 1879, and live there, a prarie farmer."
Source: Chute, William Edward. A Genealogy and History of the Chute Family in America: With Some Account of the Family in Great Britain and Ireland, with an Account of Forty Allied Families Gathered from the Most Authentic Sources. Salem, Massachusetts, 1894. Page 176.
His farm lay five miles west of the city of Hanska. It was at this home that cousin Ray Armstrong was killed in a shotgun accident.
Arthur was a prairie farmer and rural mail carrier, and was included in a local newspaper article (date and source unknown) on the history of the mail delivery system in the region. The photo contained the following caption:
"This picture shows the Fred Jensen Harness shop building and the Eggensberger Publishing Co. building and Post office (the white building) on the south side of main street in 1913. Standing by their mail buggies are Rural Carriers Thor Smesmo, Arthur Chute, Mads Anderson, and Ole Halvorson, who had a car at the time. A.R. Eggensberger was Hanska Herald editor and Hanska Postmaster. H.P. Becken started business in this building, also moving to the present one in 1921. The Fred Jensen building was moved uptown to Broadway and is presently Hank's East Side. The other building has been demolished. Drs. Sundt and Borgeson and Dentist Kellerman occupied rooms over the Post Office on Main Street at one time.
It might be interesting to know more about the mail carriers of 1912-1913.
Mads Anderson was elected President of the Brown Co. Mail Carriers in June of 1913. Owing to the splendid weather in June of that year carriers Ole Halvorson and Mads Anderson were able to make mail trips via the gasoline route. A.W. Chute and Thor Smesmo still traveled with horsepower and buggies as horseless carriages did not make a favorable impression on them. One morning Mads Anderson broke the crank shaft on his Hupmobile as he was about to start his mail route. The worst that could happen with horses was an occasional runaway. Arthur Chute's wife, Alice, often called "Mother Chute", drove the horses and delivered the mail when her husband was on vacation - Arthur and Mads said they were sure to get home without a blow-out when using horses.
Wrote Editor Eggensberger, "The route through the air is next on the program, and probably in a few years you may watch for the mail carrier high above you who, when he reaches your house will deliver parcel post into a wash basket hung up in the yard. That's progress!"
There is a discrepancy in marriage dates: 11 JUL 1879 in Brown County, Minnesota (source: William E. Chute who may or may not have spoken with Arthur and Alice directly), and of 19 SEP 1879, in New Ulm, Minnesota, via a direct descendant, who may be using state records and family records. The discrepancy is being looked into.
Obituary, Arthur Wellington Chute
Arthur W. Chute, a pioneer settler of Hanska community died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Green at St. Paul Wednesday evening after an illness of a year, with cancer of the stomach, and had been confined to his bed since April 1st.
The deceased was born near Boston, Mass., April 1, 1855 and came to this county some 60 years ago. He was married to Alice Miner in New Ulm some 48 years ago to which union 11 children were born, two died when infants, while Mrs. Oscar Kjelshus preceeded him in death recently. Those living are, Mrs. Carrie Green, Alvin, Charley and Roy, all of St. Paul, Mrs. Stella Missen, Minneapolis, Mrs. Ella Smesmo, Edgar, and Stanley of this community.
They farmed in Lake Hanska for many years after which they moved to Hanska where Mr. Chute served as mail carrier on route 3 for 19 years and for the last 3 years had been making his home with his daughter in St. Paul.
Besides his wife and children he leaves to mourn his death one brother Henry of St. Paul and two sisters Mrs. Anna Needles, White Bear and one whose residence is unknown.
The remains were shipped to Hanska Saturday and funeral services were held at Sleepy Eye M. E. Church on Sunday and interment at Home Cemetery.
Source: New Ulm Review, Minnesota, May 1926. Courtesy of S. Hemingway.
