1832-1885
Adoniram Judson Underwood
Publisher/Public Servant New York/Minnesota NY/MN
I am grateful for the research of Andy Osterdahl in “The Strangest Names in American Political History” for most of the information in this posting.
Adoniram J. Underwood was born on May 26, 1832, in Chautauqua, New York, in the small village of Clymer. Underwood relocated to Ohio with his family in 1835 and as an adolescent learned the trade of printing on the staff of the Western Reserve Chronicle. Underwood married in 1857 to Nancy Folsom and the couple had five children. Underwood served his country in the battlefield during the Civil War, being a member of the First Minnesota Volunteers and later as a sharpshooter.
After his military service, Underwood was elected tot the Minnesota State House of Representatives, serving from 1871-72, and is also listed as being the publisher of two newspapers. He died at age 53, on December 21, 1885, in the town of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Underwood was later honored in 1912 by having the town of Underwood, Minnesota named after him.[1]
The village, now called Underwood, was platted in 1881 and established as a post office in 1884, the year before A. J. Underwood died. He was editor of the Weekly Journal, a Fergus Falls-based newspaper. The Village of Underwood was formally incorporated in 1912. Though the Lion’s Club photo to the right boasts a population of 341, the 2020 census reports growth up to about 356 residents.
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[1] https://politicalstrangenames.blogspot.com/2012/05/