Berger and Olive Rodne Husband's Full Name: Berger Rodne Husband's Place of Birth: Fram Township, Wells Co, ND Husband's Father's Name: Ole L. Rodne Husband's Mother's Name: Anna O. Lunde Husband's Siblings' Names: Lars (Inez Erickson); Oliver (Inga Overland); Arthur, Otto, Alfred (Mabel Dovre); Carl (Agnes Stenerson); Gena (Lirgg); Laura (Bill Cook); Sena (Andrew Hillesland) Wife's Full Name: Olive Stenerson Rodne Wife's Place of Birth: Dodge, Dunn Co, ND Wife's Father's Name: Erick Stenerson Wife's Mother's Name: Christina Knutson Stenerson Wife's Siblings' Names: Orville (Bernice), Agnes (Carl Rodne) Children's Names: Karen (Gerry Beutler); Otto, Mark, Paul Berger Rodne was born September 1, 1913 to Ole L. and Anna Rodne near Manfred, N.D. He grew up on the family farm and attended a rural school located two miles from his home. Often these one-room schoolhouses had as many as 40-50 pupils from grades one to eight, with only one teacher in charge. In his late teens, Berger became interested in artwork and did oil paintings of both scenic views and portraits. Some of these he sold to museums for display. On April 6, 1952, Berger married Olive Stenerson of Dodge, N.D. at Seattle, Washington. Olive was born on April 3, 1920 at Dodge. She graduated from Dickinson State College and Lutheran Bible Institute and taught seven years in western N.D. prior to their marriage. In 1954, Ole L. Rodne sold the farm to his son, Berger who still lives on the farmstead. Berger has been active in the community, serving on the school board in Fram Township before the reorganization of the Harvey school district. He later served six years on the Harvey Board of Education. He also has done evangelistic preaching, taking him to churches in North Dakota and Minnesota. He also has enjoyed writing and sharing his poetry and caring for his "stabburs" on the farm. Olive and Berger had four children. Written by Olive Rodne for the Harvey area history book with additions by Karen Rodne Beutler

Ole and Clara Gladheim Husband's Full Name: Ole Bernhard Gladheim Husband's Place of Birth: Stokkebryen, Nord Aurdal, Valdres, Norway Husband's Father's Name: Ola Ranheim Stokkebryn Husband's Mother's Name: Barbro Olsdatter Gladheim Husband's Siblings' Names: none, several half siblings Wife's Full Name: Clara Genette Ranum Gladheim Wife's Place of Birth: Cottonwood, MN Wife's Father's Name: Ole Juel Ranum Wife's Mother's Name: Guri Knutsdotter Melby Ranum Wife's Siblings' Names: George, Konrad, Emil, Ida, Gladys Pfundheller Children's Names: Bernice (Vern) Nelson, Mildred (Olaf) Nelson, Gerda Berky, Doris Lippelgoos, Ordean, Cora Solberg Mauk, Ora Johnston Thompson, Carol Weymouth Clara Jeanette Ranum was born May 23, 1894 in Cottonwood, Lyon Co. MN. She was the daughter of Ole J. and Guri K (Melby) Ranum. Both Ole and Guri had parents who were early settlers of Manfred, Juel O. and Guri Ranum and Knud O. and Guri Melby. She was the 5th of 6 children, Konrad, George, Emil, Ida, Clara, and Gladys. Konrad and Ida both died young. Clara's family traveled from Minnesota to North Dakota, living in several places before settling in Manfred sometime in the early 1900's. Ole Bernhard Gladheim was born on July 18, 1895 in the Valdres region of Norway, on Stokkebryn, a farm owned by his parents, Ole O. Stokkebryn and his wife Barbro O. Gladheim. Barbro died soon after childbirth and young Ole was raised by his mother's parents on the Gladheim farm. When he immigrated to the US, he went by their name, although in Norway, he is still referred to as Ole Olson Stokkebryn. Ole was Barbo’s only child, but his father remarried and descendants from his half-siblings still live in Norway. Ole Bernhard Gladheim arrived in New York in 1912, sailing from Liverpool, England on the Lusitania, two years before her historical sinking in WWI. He made his way to Manfred, ND to visit his aunt, Anna (Stokkebryn) Melby, wife of Christian Christianson Melby. While visiting, he met the grandniece of Christian Melby, Clara Ranum, daughter of Ole and Julia (Guri) Ranum. On March 8, 1916, Ole Gladheim and Clara Ranum were married. Let it be noted that Ole and Clara had an even closer familial tie; their paternal grandfathers were brothers making them 2nd cousins! Shortly after the marriage, Ole and Clara moved to Sanish, North Dakota where they homesteaded a farm on the cliffs overlooking the Missouri River to the west. Here they raised 8 children, Bernice, Mildred, Gerda, Doris, Ordean, twins Cora and Ora, and Carol. As in Manfred, the area around Sanish and Van Hook had many other families related to Clara, including her brother and sister's families. But the 1930's were not good for the Gladheim family at Sanish, so they moved back to Manfred where they took up the farm from Clara's parents. All eight of the children reached their adulthood in Manfred. Ole died in 1952, killed in an auto accident while traveling in Montana. After his death, Clara sold the farm to her oldest daughter Bernice and her husband, Vern Nelson. Clara lived in Minot for many years before relocating to Vancouver, Washington to live with her daughters there. Clara died in 1986. Both Ole and Clara are laid to rest in the Vang Lutheran Cemetery near Manfred, just a short walk south from their farm. Source: Elaine Homan, 30 Jan 2003

Fredrick and Elizabeth Hoffman Husband's Full Name: Frederick Hoffman Husband's Place of Birth: Germany Husband's Father's Name: Husband's Mother's Name: Husband's Siblings' Names: Wife's Full Name: Elizabeth Wife's Place of Birth: Germany Wife's Father's Name: Wife's Mother's Name: Wife's Siblings' Names: Children's Names: John, Rudolph and Corma, Erma Frederick and Elizabeth settled in the Manfred area and are listed in the 1900 US Federal Census of the James River, Wells County, North Dakota. They emigrated from Germany. They were farmers. Frederick was born in April 1858; Elizabeth was born in June of 1867. They were married in 1897. Three children are listed on the 1910 census – John born 1899, Rudolph born in 1903 and Corma born about 1904, all born in North Dakota, presumably in the Manfred area. The 1920 census lists Rudolph in Hillsdale, Wells County, North Dakota census, and in 1930 the census lists Rudolph and his wife Theresa in Township 147 of Sheridan, North Dakota. The 1930 Census records indicate that Frederick, Elizabeth and daughter Erma were living in Harvey, Wells, North Dakota, USA. Erma was born ca 1911.

Herbert and Eliza Fincher1 Husband's Full Name: Herbert Fincher Husband's Place of Birth: New York, New York Husband's Father's Name: Jesse E. Fincher Husband's Mother's Name: Julia Hitchcock Husband's Siblings' Names: Hattie (Dan Jones); Amy (Robert T. Roberts) Wife's Full Name: Elizabeth Eliza Cone Fincher Wife's Place of Birth: Milan, Monroe, Michigan Wife's Father's Name: Erastus Cone Wife's Mother's Name: Sarah Uptagrafft Wife's Siblings' Names: Erastus, Judge, Joseph, Rebekcah, Benjamin, Jane, William, Rachel, Mary, Alvin Children's Names: Jennie[Alex LeGrand and Guy Fisher], Jessie, Cora, Grace [Sherman Curtis], Nellie, Harvey [Margretta Butler], Ethel [Peter Planner] Herbert’s parents Jesse E and Julia Fincher were the first settlers in Manfred. They homesteaded the land in 1886. Later, it was on the land of Jesse E. Fincher and Christ O. Roble, the town of Manfred was laid out. The plot of land was originally called the Jim River Crossing of the Mouse River Trail. The Fincher’s came from England to New York State, in colonial days. Herbert’s grandmother was the first white child born in New York. From New York they moved to Michigan, where Herbert and his father were carpenters. Herbert farmed with oxen for six years. He carried mail between Oberon and Fessenden for three years. He also hauled buffalo bones to Sykeston several years for additional income. Herbert and his wife Eliza Cone were married in 1884. They had five children: Jennie, Jesse, Cora, Grace and Nellie. Source: Fessenden Diamond Jubilee Book 1893-1963

Jesse and Julia Fincher1 Husband's Full Name: Jesse Ephraim Fincher Husband's Place of Birth: Ogden, Monroe, New York, NY Husband's Father's Name: John Alexander Fincher, Sr. Husband's Mother's Name: Betsey Colby Husband's Siblings' Names: Elvira Parish Fincher 1826-1896 John Alexander Fincher 1828-1910; Sara Fincher 1833 - ? Jane Fincher 1837-?; Martha Fincher 1842 - 1911 Wife's Full Name: Julia Hitchcock Wife's Place of Birth: Gates, Monroe, New York, NY Wife's Father's Name: David R. Hitchcock Wife's Mother's Name: Betsey Colby Wife's Siblings' Names: Isham Hitchcock, Stephen Hitchcock, David Wesley Hitchcoch Children's Names: 1) Harriet (Hatti) Louisa Fincher (Daniel C. Jones) 2)Herbert Jesse Fincher (Elizabeth “Eliza” Cone); 3) Amy B. Fincher (Robert T. Roberts) The Finchers were the first settlers at the James River Crossing of the Mouse River Trail, where Manfred is now located. Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Fincher were of English descent born in New York State, residing in Pennsylvania for a time and later lived in Washtenaw County, Michigan for many years. The Finchers settled in Wells County, in the spring of 1886, homesteading the land that year. The town, later to be called Manfred, was platted on Section 28, Township 149, Range 71 West on land first patented from the United States by Jesse E. Fincher and Christ Roble.

Ole and Charlotte Brecto Husband's Full Name: Ole A. Brecto Husband's Place of Birth: Columbia County, Wisconsin, USA Husband's Father's Name: Ole Anderson Brecto Husband's Mother's Name: Margit Olson Aadalen Husband's Siblings' Names: unknown Wife's Full Name: Charlotte Marie Berglund-Stokes-Jacobson Wife's Place of Birth: Aardahl, Stokke, Hetland, Rogaland, Norway Wife's Father's Name: Jacob Jacobson Wife's Mother's Name: Malene Samuelsdater-Gausell later married to Gabriel T. Gedrose Wife's Siblings' Names: Anna Bergland, Solomon Andrew Berglund Stokes, Half siblings Tollak Jakobsen, Thaulow Gedrose Children: Oscar Julius, Mabel Margit, Albert Thorwald, Chester Orlando, Elmer Hamlin, Darwin Royal. Ole was born of Norwegian born parents on a farm in Columbia County, Wisconsin. His family settled in Wisconsin and they were farmers. Ole was the second born in his family. He attended country school. He operated his father’s farm in Wisconsin for ten years prior to moving to North Dakota. In Wisconsin he was the first to experiment in raising tobacco and had a successful crop. In 1887, he took a preemption and tree claim in Wells County. He erected a claim shanty and lived there alone the first year. He has three horses, a plow and a wagon and some machinery. He hauled supplies from Sykeston, fifteen miles. Ole and Charlotte were married in 1889 in Montana, according the marriage records of that state. She immigrated to America in 1888. Six children were born to this family. They youngest of these children were born while they were living in James River, Wells, ND (Manfred). They homesteaded first in Manfred Township #149 and then in Fairville, Township 148.

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.

Nels and Annie Overrein Husband's Full Name: Nels Hansen Overrein Husband's Place of Birth: Steinkjer, Nord Trondelag, Norway Husband's Father's Name: Hans Olsen Husband's Mother's Name: Anna Hendrietta Andersdtr Husband's Siblings' Names: unknown Wife's Full Name: Oliana (Annie) Stromme Wife's Place of Birth: Norway Wife's Father's Name: unknown Wife's Mother's Name: unknown Wife's Siblings' Names: unknown Children's Names: Helen, Olaf 2nd Wife’s Name: Nanna Straume Nels Overrein immigrated from Trondelag, Norway in 1906. While in Manfred he worked for the wagon shop and also as a blacksmith for Jens Renden, who was from the same area in Norway. In 1908 he joined the Manfred Band, playing a “horn”. Nels worked as a blacksmith for the wagon shop in Manfred. He also worked for Jens Renden in his blacksmith shop. Both Nels and Oliana were born in Norway and came to this country in 1906 and 1908 respectively. On January 14, 1910 they were married in Fessenden. Their plan was to make Manfred their home for the winter and move to Montana in the spring where Nels had a homestead. They had two children, Helen, born in North Dakota and Olaf born in Montana. The 1920 census reveals that Nels was a widowed and living with his stepbrother in Bellingham, Watcom, Washington. On April 20 1921 he was married to Nanna Straume in Bellingham. He was a blacksmith and continued to live in Washington until his death at age 95.

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Eilert and Marie Fehr Husband's Full Name: Eilert B. Fehr Husband's Place of Birth: Toronto, SD Husband's Father's Name: Brechter (Bert) Eilert Fehr Husband's Mother's Name: Mary Elmira Egger Fehr Husband's Siblings' Names: Bielda (Warren) Hoover, Julia (Walter) Albus, Ruth (Otto) Krueger, Walter (Leona), Wife's Full Name: Marie Pitkin Fehr Wife's Place of Birth: Wheelock, ND Wife's Father's Name: Francis Nelson Pitkin Wife's Mother's Name: Maria Hilda Block Wife's Siblings' Names: unknown Children's Names: Julia Ann (Marvin) Rodacker; Jon (Gloria); James; Frances; Jean (Narit) Narksompong; Alan (Kristin) Eilert B. Fehr, was born in Toronto, SD. In 1917 the family moved to a farm southwest of Manfred where he was raised and educated. As a young man he worked with the Melby threshing rig and was known as a strong, hard worker. During the depression he worked in the lumber camps of upper Michigan. On June 10, 1941 he was married to Marie Pitkin at Sawyer. They settled east of Manfred on the James River where they farmed for many years, growing small grains and they had a Guernsey dairy operation. He was also a self-taught welder, willing to tackle repairs on his farm and for neighbors in need. Marie attended Minot State Teachers College and had been teaching the past six years in schools of Ward and adjacent counties at the time of her wedding. Eilert and Marie attended the First Congregational Church in Fessenden and provided music for the services until its closure. They then attended Vang Lutheran Church in Manfred. Marie passed away December 7, 1993; Eilert remained on the farm until moving to the Sheridan Home in McClusky in 1999. He moved to the Harvey Long Term Care Center in 2004, and passed away in June of 2004.

Nils Bjornsen Full Name: Nils Bjornsen Place of Birth: Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway Father's Name: Bjorn Nielsen Mother's Name: Bergethe Halvorsdtr Siblings' Names: unknown Pictured are Musicians in 1901 including Nels Bjornsen B. Nelson is holding the fiddle Nils Bjornsen was born in 1853 in Sigdal, Buskerud, Norway. He immigrated to Northwood, North Dakota in 1886, and is found in Manfred in 1905. He purchased land from Joseph Le Grand. In 1910 he built an addition to his house, located 3 miles northwest of town. In 1897 Nils was admitted to the church membership at Vang Lutheran Church. In 1917 Nils and Reier Reistad spent the winter in Grand Forks. The 1920 census places him as a boarder at the Christ Roble home. They had a boarding home located at the end of main street in Manfred. Nils remained a bachelor. When he called at friends' homes he was known for bringing a small box of candy as a gift. Nils passed away in the spring of 1920 and is buried at the Vang Cemetery north of Manfred.

Albert and Lucy Biever Husband's Full Name: Albert N. Biever Husband's Place of Birth: South of Manfred, Wells Co, ND Husband's Father's Name: Mathew Biever Husband's Mother's Name: Elizabeth Schneider Husband's Siblings' Names: Joseph, Anna Jenny, Ella, Mathew, Frank, Josie Breyer Wife's Full Name: Lucy A. Specht Biever Wife's Place of Birth: Fram Township, Wells Co, ND Wife's Father's Name: Joseph Specht Wife's Mother's Name: Margaret Collins Specht Wife's Siblings' Names: Mabel, Frank, Edward and Eleanor Children's Names: Eileen, Leroy, Richard, Peggy, Dorothy Albert Biever was born on his family’s farm south of Manfred. He grew up in the Manfred and Harvey vicinities all of his life, with the exception of time when he proved up his homestead in Montana and when in the service during World War I. He was mustered out of the service April 1, 1919. He married Lucy Specht on October 18, 1921. They lived in Manfred a few years, and then they bought a farm a mile and a half-mile south of Manfred, originally homesteaded by William Goedecke in the 1890s. They lived on the farm until 1935 when they moved to Harvey. Albert was a rural mail carrier, and carried mail out of Manfred and Harvey for 36 years. In 1981 Mrs. Biever still owned the Goedecke homestead. She passed away in 1990.