Manfred History & Preservation, Inc.
Jacob Klev
Full Name: Jacob Gulbrandson Kleiv
Place of Birth: Eggedal, Rogaland, Norway
Father's Name: Gulbrand Stenersen Kleiv
Mother's Name: Ragna Halvorsdatter Bøe
Siblings' Names: Steiner, Kari, Halvor, Knut, Ansten, Ragna, Wilhelm, Engebret, Gulbrand, Sigurd, Emil
Jacob Kleiv immigrated to America in 1899. He was an early merchant in Manfred. In 1905 he rented Olaf Tansem’s blacksmith shop for a year while the Tansems resided on their claim near Balfour. He had worked for Mr. Tansem the previous year and learned the efficient art of welding hammer and tongs. He lived southwest of Manfred and in 1905 had a good field of barley.
The 1915 Manfred News notes that Engbrecht Kleiv of Arnegard, ND came to Manfred to help his brother Jacob in the hardware business. Also noted in 1915, Hugo Boese bought 160 acres of land from J. G. Kleiv for $35 an acre. Following the township election, J. G. Klev was elected constable. Jacob’s obituary noted that his brother Gilbert (Gulbrand) was in Alaska, William lived in Adams County, Halvor and Engebrecht lived near Palermo.
Jacob Kleiv lived a couple of houses from Martin Melby in Manfred in the LeGrand Addition. He is remembered for matchboxes he made of wood. It was for the smaller matches. It was made of wood only and yet it had a cover that would snap open and closed, as Orvin Ongstad recalls.
Jacob died unexpectedly in October of 1939. He had been while working at the John Haakenson farm, following his yearly maintenance of a very high windmill at the P. B. Anderson farm. When he reached the ground, he had a fatal heart attack.
He was a member of Vang Lutheran Church, and is buried at the Vang Cemetery, north of Manfred.