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Knute and Mathilda Dovre

Husband's Full Name:  Knute Dovre

Husband's Place of Birth:  Valdres, Norway

Husband's Father's Name: Ole Nilson

Husband's Mother's Name: Ragnhild Thoresdter

Husband's Siblings' Names: Ole Olson

Wife's Full Name:  Mathilda Opdahl

Wife's Place of Birth:  Northwood, ND

Wife's Father's Name:  Per Eric Opdahl

Wife's Mother's Name:  Kristine Maria Rustad

Wife's Siblings' Names:  Emma, Edwin, Marie [Stickney]

Children's Names: Erling [Vivian Scott], Conrad [Alice Irene], Clifford [Fran Zeigler] and Theresa [Melvin Bergh]

Dovre, tilda_erling.jpg
Mathilda Dovre.jpg

Mathilda Dovre        The House they lived in

Mathilda [spelling variations for Mathilda include Matilda, Tilda, and Tillie] was born September 20, 1889 at Northwood, North Dakota.  Her family moved to the Manfred area when she was six years old.  Entries in the Wells County Free Press-Manfred News report the following about Tillie when she was fifteen years old:

 

June 11, 1905

Miss Ragna Hetland who has been engaged at the Dakota Hotel for some time, left during the week and Miss Gena  Shefveland has charge of the dining room.  Miss Opdahl is assisting in the kitchen.

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June 30, 1905

Tillie Opdahl, who had been helping Mrs. Elsaas in the kitchen at the Dakota Hotel during the rush, left last Friday.

 

On December 23, 1911, Mathilda married Knute Olson Dovre who was born in Valdres, Norway about 1870.  Their marriage certificate is on record at the Wells County Court House. Knute came to America when he was 12 years old, and then went to stay with relatives in Kansas. Knute is related to the Haugens and the Neuenschwanders, and also to Paul Dovre, former president of Concordia College, Moorhead, MN. 

 

Mathilda and Knute first settled at Drake, ND where Knute worked in banking for his uncle, Henry Thorson.  Their first child Erling was born at Drake in 1913. Afterward, they lived for a time in Manfred Township where two children were born, Conrad in 1915 and Clifford in 1917.

 

Knute, Mathilda, and family then moved to Minnesota, where they built a farmstead at Little Floyd Lake and began farming.  Their fourth child, Theresa, was born in Minnesota in 1921.

 

Their sons Erling, Conrad, and Clifford all moved to the state of Washington, and later Conrad returned to take over the family farm.

 

1. Erling married Vivian Scott and they had two children, Earl and Lois, no grandchildren. 

 

2. Conrad married Alice Erickson and they had four children: Sharon of Arizona-two children, Dennis who is on the family farmstead-two children, Donald a carpenter near Little Floyd Lake, MN. He had -two children and two step-children, and Douglas. 

 

3. Clifford married Fran Ziegler, they had no children. 

 

4. Theresa married Melvin Bergh and they had two children, 1)Judy-who had one child, and 2)Jon. Theresa taught school and Melvin was an engineer.  Knute died on September 2, 1948.  Mathilda died September 25, 1963 at Detroit Lakes, MN.

 

Source: New Manfred News – May 2005, page 5

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