Manfred History & Preservation, Inc.
T.O. and Guri Roble
Husband's Full Name: Torstein O. Roble
Husband's Place of Birth: Øystre Slidre, Valdres, Norway
Husband's Father's Name: Ole Johannssen Rabølle
Husband's Mother's Name: Guri Mikkelsdotter Rogne Roble
Husband's Siblings' Names: Knut, Johannes, Gulbrand, Christen, Ole, Tollef, Torleif
Wife's Full Name: Guro Skogstad Roble
Wife's Place of Birth: Vang, Valdres, Norway
Wife's Father's Name: Andrew Skogstad
Wife's Mother's Name: unknown
Wife's Siblings' Names: Ingebjorg
Children's Names: Olaf, Mary Haugen, Gina Bergan, Andrew, Melvin
Torstein Roble was born at Rogne near Fagernes, Valdres, Norway, reared on the Roble farm at Rogne; attended high school; entered the seminary at Hamar, Norway graduating with a first grade certificate. At age twenty he began teaching which he continued to do for five years. He purchased a farm at Sore Oye; married Guro Skogstad in 1884, daughter of Andrew Skogstad. Torstein and Guro immigrated to America in 1886 with a group of relatives from the same area. Landing at New York they moved on to Minnesota where he taught a Norwegian parish school at Kenyon in Goodhue County. He was also the musical director of the church and a singing society there.
Moving his family to North Dakota in 1890, he took a pre-emption and tree claim, one in Foster County and one in Eddy County, where they erected a claim shanty. He purchased horses in order to begin his farm work. The nearest railroad was thirty miles away at Cooperstown. In 1893 he moved his family to Wells County, hauling buildings, machinery and personal effects to a farmstead three miles west of Manfred. Over the years his farm grew to 320 acres with 200 acres under cultivation.
In 1905 he was elected president of the Manfred Farmers Elevator. He was secretary of the Vang Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manfred for 25 years. In 1912, he was elected to the North Dakota House of Representatives. After his first wife died, he wintered in St. Petersburg, Florida from 1922-1932. Disillusioned with a second marriage in Florida, he came back to North Dakota where he passed away August 1943 at the home of his daughter Gina in Harvey.