Olaf and Nina Roble Husband's Full Name: Olaf Roble Husband's Place of Birth: Kenyon, Goodhue Co, MN Husband's Father's Name: Torstein O. Roble Husband's Mother's Name: Guro Skogstad Husband's Siblings' Names: Mary, Gina, Andrew and Melvin Wife's Full Name: Nina Swedlund Wife's Place of Birth: Wheaton, MN Wife's Father's Name: Nils Swedlund Wife's Mother's Name: Christine Lindquist Wife's Siblings' Names: Lillian, Roy, Ida, Dewey, Dancy, Edna, Tony, Una Children's Names: LaVone, Orville, Wayne, Jean and Jerald Olaf Roble was born to Mr. and Mrs. Torstein Roble (Guro Skogstad) at Kenyon, Minn. in 1886. He died at Harvey in 1933. He moved with his parents to homesteads near McHenry and Cooperstown in Eddy County. Then they moved to another homestead between Manfred and Harvey on the James River alongside the Soo Line Railroad. He went to school in Manfred and skated to school on the ice on the James River during the winters. He attended Fargo College where he took up manual training, steam engineering and music. He mastered the valve trombone, cornet, violin and saxophone. At Manfred he played with the Manfred Cornet Band. He started in business in Manfred as a coal dealer selling coal out of a box car. He went into business with Fremont Hanson in a general store, was a barber, worked in the Ford and John Deere dealership under Olaf Anderson who sent him to Harvey to run the A.B. Motive Power Co. The "A" stood for Anderson and the "B" was the previous owner and partner, O. E. Blanding. He had a big steam threshing rig, complete with cook car, which he had nine successful seasons. Olaf Roble went to Swift Current, Sask., Canada with Lars Hanson and stayed a year and acquired a quarter of land by homestead laws of Canada. He returned to Manfred in 1916 denouncing the Queen of England and became an American citizen again. In 1917, he married the schoolteacher that came from Velva and the Minot State Normal School, Nina Swedlund. She lived in Manfred, on the Halvorson farm they purchased west of Manfred, and also in Harvey. She became a widow in 1933 and had five children, age 15 and below. She continued to run the 640-acre farm, acquired full ownership of the business and property of the A.B. Motive Power Co., about eight or ten rental houses and the home which was built new for her at 221 Brewster Street in 1928-29.

Roble-Hanson Department Store Location: Owned property Block 3, Lots 2, 3, 7 Proprietor: Olaf Roble and Fremont Hanson Year Started: 1917 Year Ended: 1918 History of Business: The Manfred News of January 25, 1917 announced “On January 23, 1917, S.N. Willborg transferred the general mercantile stock and store to Olaf Roble and V. F. Hanson. The new firm is known as Roble & Hanson. Mr. Roble is the son of former representative T. O. Roble, and has been successful as a landowner and in other business affairs. Mr. Hanson came from Enderlin some years ago and is already well acquainted with Manfred and the people in the town’s vicinity as head clerk for Mr. Willborg. Both are young men of good reputation and wide acquaintance and we predict for them success. Mr. Willborg began business in Manfred 21 years ago and is now planning to move west. Olaf Roble and Fremont Hanson were co-owners of the Roble-Hanson Department Store. When the store burned down, Olaf went to college in Fargo studying steam engineering as well as the violin. V. F. Hanson joined the boys of the last draft on April of 1918 and left for Camp Dodge via the 106 (train). Star – Roble-Hanson Department Store Reference points: Red rectangle - Manfred School Blue rectangle - Vang Lutheran Church Purple rectangle – Post Office/Bank Green rectangle – Solheim Station

Frank and Anna Mattis Husband's Full Name: Frank Mattis Husband's Place of Birth: Dresden, Germany Husband's Father's Name: Frank Hedwig Mattis Husband's Mother's Name: unknown Husband's Siblings' Names: Thorvald, Inga, Mabel, Clara, Hilda and Alma Wife's Full Name: Gina Hedahl Wife's Place of Birth: Øystre Slidre, Opplund, Norway Wife's Father's Name: Ole Svenson Hedahl Wife's Mother's Name: Ingrid Jorstad Wife's Siblings' Names: Sven, Conrad, Oscar, Clara, Emma, Edwin, Edith Children's Names: Frank Jr. 2nd Wife: Anna Skaar Jorstad Gina Hedahl Mattis Anna Mattis, 2nd Wife Gina Hedahl was born in Øystre Slidre, Valdres, Norway to Ole S. and Ingrid Hedahl immigrating to the USA in 1893 with her parents and brother Swen. As a young child she and her parents and brother lived first at Fergus Falls, Minnesota and then Twin Valley, Minnesota before moving to Manfred in 1895 where her father filed on a homestead. Gina attended the one-room school at Manfred, finisher her schooling in Fessenden when the family located there because her father was elected to a county position at the Wells County Court House. Later, Gina began working in the Register of Deed’s office in Fessenden. According to the published diary of Clara Hedahl. Gina was rooming with her sister Clara and Gladys Ranum in 1916 when they were attending Fessenden High School. In 1917, Gina resigned her position at the courthouse, and together with several friends filed on homesteads near Malta, Montana. She fulfilled the homesteading requirements during the years 1917-1919. The same year Gina had begun homesteading, her future husband, Frank Mattis was working in New Rockford, ND. He was born in German, son of Frank Hedwig Mattis. At the age of six Frank came to the USA with his parents and settled in the New Rockford area. A few years later the family returned to Germany where Frank was confirmed in the Lutheran Church. A short time later he returned to the United States, started farming settling in the Manfred and Esmond area. Though one of his hands was badly crippled due to a childhood accident with a gun, Frank didn’t let this hold him back and was able to do everything himself. On December 24, 1925, Gina Hedahl and Frank Mattis were married at Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. For some years they lived on the Hedahl farm north of Manfred where their son Frank, Jr. “Frankie” was born Sept 18, 1926. Frankie started school at Manfred in 1932 and finished his elementary schooling there in 1940. In1946 Frank and Gina purchased a farm of their own just southwest of Manfred. Gina had her home decorated nicely and was often found working on various kinds of stitchery handwork. Frank Jr. died suddenly November 30, 1947. He was a young man full of promise, attending the state university in Fargo at the time of his passing. His mother Gina never fully recovered from the shock of the untimely death of their only child. Gina died July 9, 1953. She was laid to rest beside her son in Vang Cemetery. After Gina died, her husband Frank continued to farm in the area. On June 18, 1965, he married Anna Skaar Jorstad at First Lutheran Church in Fessenden. Anna was born November 8, 1902, in Heimdal, ND. Her first marriage had been to Olaf Jorstad. Frank and Anna lived in Fessenden and in 1966 Frank retired. They were Members of First Lutheran Church, Fessenden and also of the Manfred Fagerlund Sons of Norway Lodge. Frank died August 18, 1976, and is buried beside Gina and their son Frank, Jr. Anna SkaarJorstad Mattis died August 8, 1977, and is buried beside her first husband Olaf Jorstad in the East Vang Cemetery north of Fessenden.

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 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.

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.

Louis and Ella Boese Husband's Full Name: Louis Boese Husband's Place of Birth: Odessa, Russia Husband's Father's Name: Gustav Boese Husband's Mother's Name: Augusta Poelke Husband's Siblings' Names: Arthur, Hugo, Leo, baby (deceased) Wife's Full Name: Ella Mennegar Wife's Place of Birth: Humphrey, Platt Co, NE Wife's Father's Name: Richard M. Mennegar Wife's Mother's Name:Amelia Schriman Wife's Siblings' Names: Willie, Ben, Eddie, Emma, Roy, Louisa, Eva, Leo Children's Names: Richard, Raymond, Harley, Mildred Soiseth, Ervin, Louella Harrison Oglesby, Violet Kittelson, Wesley Boese Louis Boese, son of Gustav Boese, was born in 1884 in East Prussia. He came to Manfred Township in 1893 from Madison, SD. As a teenager he went to Washington. In 1906, he married Ella Mennegar. Louis and Ella Boese were the parents of eight children: Richard and Harley of Harvey, Ray of Miles City, Montana, Mildred Soiseth of Kenmare, Ervin and Wesley of Manfred, Louella Harrison Oglesby of Garrison, and Violet Kittelson. Later in life, he came back to Manfred farming south of Manfred. In 1915, when his father Gustav moved to California, Louis moved on the homestead farm southwest of Manfred in Section 32. His father, Gustav, homesteaded this. He enjoyed music and was a member of Manfred Cornet Band. Growing with Pride (adapted with family information)

Manfred in 1893 P. B. Anderson, one of our first settlers, said he did most of his pioneering in the southeast corner of Eddy County. He filed on land there in 1885 and lived there six or seven years, but struggled to make ends meet. It was 30 miles to nearest market. If they were lucky enough to raise a crop, the expenses of threshing and marketing took nearly all the profit.. The settlements of half a dozen families were all equally poor. Wells County With the coming of the Soo Line Railroad through North Dakota, opening of new lands in the northwestern part of the state land for settlers close to railroad became available. In the spring of 1892, T. K. Rogne, Nels Hovey and P. B. Anderson struck out looking for a better place to make a new start in life. Having been hampered with long distances to market they agreed not to go more than three miles from the railroad survey. They commenced to prospect where the survey crossed the James River near Kensal. They took notes of different quarter sections as they went along. After they got out in the center of Wells County the settlers were very few and far apart. There was not a house where Fessenden now stands. Bob Roberts was putting up a building near the fairgrounds. A mile or two to the northwest, Al Bean had a claim shanty and that is where we spent our first night in Wells County. They continued on their land hunting trip to the western border of the county. The last settler was on the eastern bank of the Sheyenne River. West of the river, a fire had just swept the prairie so the land was black as far as we could see. The land looked like a desert. They went as far as five miles from where Harvey is now located but had to turn back as there was no feed for their horses. The next night they were quartered in William Montgomery's granary. Montgomery and Shaw had settled there three or four years before and a post office was established there called Whitby. Mail brought from Sykeston once a week. At this time, it was known that a railroad station would be built at Fessenden, and we figured another would be put up where the Railroad crossed the Sheyenne River as there were 16 miles between those two points. There necessarily would be another halfway between. A Decision Was Made After looking over their field notes of the descriptions taken down Rogne and P. B. agreed to file on Section 20 and 29, taking some of each section. This location was just halfway between Fessenden and Harvey so we figured we would not miss getting close to a town. Going back, we stopped at Sykeston and made an application for filing with Webster Sanford, Clerk of Court at that time. P. B. was the first Norwegian settler in Manfred Township. Building a Shanty In July that same year Rogne, L. O. Burkum and P. B. Anderson came back and brought a load of lumber and put up a shanty 12 ft. by 16 ft. They also put up about 25 tons of hay. The mosquitoes were quite bad at night. After completing our haying, we back to Eddy County again. Late in the fall P. B. came back out to Wells County again. This time he had C. O. Roble with him. P. B. filed on Section 20; a part of this land is where the village of Manfred is now located. By this time the railroad graders were at work and the grade was nearly finished. Embarkment The next spring he loaded his worldly possessions in a wagon drawn by three oxen and two cows led behind and started out for what he expected to be the promised land. The first day he was overtaken by a snowstorm so had to stay with a farmer about 10 miles east of New Rockford. The next day he managed to get into New Rockford. Bright and early next morning he left Rockford. Every low place was filled with water, so he had quite a time in coming through. He crossed the James River at John Gosses place on a bridge. Coming three or four miles west he met a farmer who informed him that it would be impossible to cross the river at the next crossing as there was no bridge. He stopped that night out on the prairies. The next morning, he went back and re-crossed the bridge at Fosses and followed the south side of the river. This was Sunday and a very beautiful day with bright sunshine. April 21, 1893 About three miles east of the claim P. B. was overtaken by his brother-in-law, P. B.'s wife, and his three husky boys ranging in age from three to six years. They drove a horse and buggy. Coming out to the claim they found the shanty they expected to stop in was plumb full of snow. They had a small tent, so were not so bad off after all. The next day they cleared the snow out, moved the shack on a dry spot and before night they were domiciled in their new home. This was April 21, 1893. Manfred Township In Manfred Township there were already four settlers--Charles Bartz, Frank Kolosky, Jesse Fincher, and William Goedecke. These families had been here for about three and one-half years or so before Anderson’s appearance. Two or three weeks after their arrival, T.K. Rogne and family came out and built their shanty with about 30 rods from Andersons. From then on things commenced to move very fast. In the last part of May, the rails were laid, and trains began to run. New settlers came in thick and fast and all land subject to homestead was gobbled up in short order. Manfred Thrives The town site of Manfred was laid out on Section 28, water tank put up, section house built, and the O & M Elevator built with R. C. Jacobson, as agent. Rogne and Burkum erected and started a general store; a lumber yard opened up, a blacksmith shop--everything was humming. The old settlement here was called the James River. The settlement here was called the James River Crossing. There was a road or trail crossing the James River just below the present Manfred Dam. The settlers had already organized a school district and named it St. Anna and built a schoolhouse in St. Anna Township. Both Rogne and P. B. had children of school age. They had to be looking for better school facilities as for us the road to the old school would be in the neighborhood of four miles. Manfred School District The school district was composed of two townships. After some wrangling, an agreement was made to divide and for us to organize a new school district naming it Manfred. The old St. Anna School House was moved up to a location one quarter mile west of Manfred on the south side of the railroad and St. Anna built a new schoolhouse about one and one-half miles further south. The first teacher was Miss Sadie Hutchinson and the next was T.H. O'Neal. Business Increases The nearest post office was Whitby, about seven miles distant. In 1884, the Manfred Post Office was established with T. K. Rogne Postmaster, and another store was started by Benson and Willborg. Two more grain elevators were built and put in operation. In 1905, the Manfred Farmers Elevator Co. was organized with T. O. Roble as president and P. B. Anderson, secretary and manager. Before the building of the Sykeston-Turtle Lake branch of the Northern Pacific and the Surrey cutoff by the Great Northern Manfred was a lively trading center. More than 600,000 bushels of grain was marketed yearly through the four grain elevators only. Through the Farmers Elevator, of which he had records, in good crop years were marketed 225,000 bushels a year. The Norwegians organized and built a church in 1905. Manfred has outlived two schoolhouses and is already casting about for another. Manfred at its height of prosperity boasted of three or four general stores, two hardware stores, two blacksmith shops, two lumber yards, two barber shops, two pool rooms, bank, drugstore, livery barn, feed mill, doctor, and butcher shop. Taken all in all, a real lively place. The advent of automobiles and good roads brought ruin to the small towns. Every Tom, Dick, and Harry had to have an automobile and for to have somewhere to go, had to go to a bigger town. Everybody had to have an automobile regardless of whether they could afford it or not. This likely is one of the main causes that so many are now clamoring hardship.

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.