Victor and Louella Harrison Husband's Full Name: Victor Edward Harrison Husband's Place of Birth: Venturia, McIntosch, North Dakota Husband's Father's Name: Edward Harrison Husband's Mother's Name: Clarice Husband's Siblings' Names: Bobbie Kolmeier Wife's Full Name: Louella Boese Harrison Wife's Place of Birth: Manfred, North Dakota Wife's Father's Name: Louis Boese Wife's Mother's Name: Ella Mennegar Boese Wife's Siblings' Names: Violet Kittelson, Raymond, Harley, Mildred Soiseth, Ervin, Wesley, Richard Children's Names: Glenda Sherman, Victor, Debra Lochow, James Louella was raised in the Manfred community. She married Victor Harrison in 1942. Victor was the depot agent in Manfred for many years. They raised four children, Glenda, Victor, Debra and James. Victor passed away in 1973. After Vic passed away Louella married Douglas Oglesby. They lived in Enderlin, where Douglas was superintendent of schools. After he retired they moved to Valley City. Louella passed away in March of 2011.

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.

Manfred is a reminder of the pioneer history that built North Dakota. Come explore our authentic buildings and displays. Manfred Welcomes You! Learn More!

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.

Phillip and Hilda Deede Husband's Full Name: Phillip Deede Husband's Place of Birth: Manfred Township, ND Husband's Father's Name: Andrew Deede Husband's Mother's Name: Dorothy Frank Deede Husband's Siblings' Names: Gottlieb, Pauline Herman, Kate Hirschkorn Christine Hauser, Amelia Lang, Molly Miller Wife's Full Name: Hilda Rodacker Deede Wife's Place of Birth: Fessenden, ND Wife's Father's Name: Matt Rodacker Wife's Mother's Name: Sophia Fischer Rodacker Wife's Siblings' Names: Ella Thygeson, Albert Rodacker, Emma Miller Child's Name: Hildor Deede The Deede brothers, Gottlieb and Phillip worked together as carpenters beginning in 1915 when Phillip was only fifteen years old. They built buildings needed by area farmers such as barns, granaries, as well as additions to existing buildings. To begin a building project the brothers ordered the needed materials, which were then delivered by wagons directly to the building site. One might wonder how many wagonloads were necessary in order to haul the large quantity of materials needed to build a barn. The brothers would then measure the lumber to the proper lengths and cut it with handsaws ready for the building project. After all was prepared, they would then recruit men to help them erect the structure. Phillip had expressed how pleased he was to help the area farmers with their building projects. Two of these hip-roofed buildings are still in existence: the one on his father’s homestead, as well as, the barn on the Gene Melby farm built in 1915. Another barn no longer in existence, built in 1920, was for Mike Fischer. (Source: the New Manfred News December 2002, page 11) Phillip and Hilda moved into the Fessenden community in 1940. They purchased the Rodacker farm four miles west of Fessenden in St. Anna Township. Their son Hildor attended country grade school and graduated from Fessenden High School. In 1951 he married Nellie Harris. He entered the army and was sent to Korea where he served 18 months overseas. Phillip and Hilda remained on the farm until Hildor’s return in 1953, when they purchased a home in Fessenden, known as the G. L. Hope house. Phillip continued his interest in the farm until the early 1970’s. The Rodacker family farm continues to be farmed by Hildor and his sons Thomas and Wayne. Source: Fessenden Centennial Book

C. C. and Anna Melby Husband's Full Name: Kristen Kristenson Rogne Melby Husband's Place of Birth: Valdres, Norway Husband's Father's Name: Kristen Mikkjelsen Rogne Husband's Mother's Name: Guro Gudbrandsdtr Bustebakke Husband's Siblings' Names: Guri Rudi, Gudbrand, Kristen, Marit, Guri Opdahl, Torstein, Kristen Wife's Full Name: Annie Olsdotter Stokkebryn Melby Wife's Place of Birth: North Aurdal, Norway Wife's Father's Name: Ola Olsen Stokkebryn Wife's Mother's Name: Mali Knutsdotter Rogne Wife's Siblings' Names: Ole, Ingrid Jorstad, Ingebjørg Meisedalen, Knut Children's Names: Gena Flick, Clarence, Clara Shearer, Anne Cook Kristen immigrated to the USA in 1880. In the USA, Kristen first used Rogne for his last name, as indicated on his marriage recorded at the courthouse, but he soon became known as C. C. Melby. Christian C. Melby was born in Valdres, Norway and as a young man immigrated to the United States as did his two sisters and his brother, T. K. Rogne, who was Manfred's first Postmaster. C. C. first located east of the town of McHenry on a tree claim. In the early 1890's he filed on a homestead north of Manfred, soon to be followed by Anna Stokkebryn, who homesteaded next to his land. They later were married and continued to farm and build up a large farmstead as well as holdings. He built the first large hip roof barn in the area and was instrumental in the immigration of many of his countrymen, paying their fare and employing them until they worked it off and were able to be set up in various occupations. He was an early builder and promoter of Manfred. He built the largest store in Manfred, with groceries, dry goods, hardware and a furniture store on the ground floor. The top floor consisted of offices, apartments and a large hall for social events. One such office was that of Dr. P. A. Boyum who had his office there before he moved to McKenzie County. C. C. Melby later acquired an alfalfa ranch east of Lancaster, California, and a duplex in Riverside, California. Their two youngest daughters Ann and Clara later owned these properties. C. C. and Anna also had a son Clarence, who at the age of two met a tragic death. As a two-year-old, he watched everything and noticed his mother set a cup up high in the cupboard, so when she turned her back, he climbed up and drank it. It was lye that she was using to wash clothes with. There was no way to save him. Their oldest daughter, Gena who was born September 10, 1895, went to Montana to homestead in 1916 with many other young people from the Manfred area. There she endured many hardships as they all did. She married another homesteader, Ray S. Flick who had moved to the same area. C. C. Melby died in San Pablo, California. Source: Growing With Pride

Warren and Bielda Hoover Warren and Bielda Hoover Husband's Full Name: Warren D. Hoover Husband's Place of Birth: Rock Lake, ND Husband's Father's Name: Daniel W. Hoover Husband's Mother's Name: Maude Moore Hoover Husband's Siblings' Names: Grace and Gladys Wife's Full Name: Bielda Talea Fehr Hoover Wife's Place of Birth: Toronto, SD Wife's Father's Name: Brechter Eilert Fehr Wife's Mother's Name: Mary Elmira Egger Fehr Wife's Siblings' Names: Eilert, William, Julia Albus, Baby, Ruth Krueger, Twin Boys, Walter, John Children's Names: Maridel Sprenger, Derald, David Warren and Bielda Hoover moved from Minneapolis to the former Matt Biever farm near Manfred in the fall of 1944. Warren Hoover came from Rock Lake, where his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dan Hoover homesteaded in 1898. He married Bielda Fehr on November 21, 1940 in Minneapolis. Mrs. Hoover's parents were Mr. and Mrs. Bert Fehr of Manfred. Her grandparents were Mr. and Mrs. Eilert Fehr who resided in Manfred Township. The Hoovers' children are Mrs. James (Maridel) Sprenger of Bismarck, Derald (Ruth) Hoover of Stanley and David (Lois) Hoover of Starkweather. There are six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Maridel Sprenger is retired from the ND State DOT in Bismarck. Derald is retired now from his position as Assistant General Manager and Financial Administrator of Mountrail-Williams Electric Cooperative in Stanley-Williston-New Town. David is retired County Executive Director of FSA-USDA of Towner County in Cando. Derald and David also farm. Bielda Hoover died August 30, 1985 and Warren Hoover died March 13, 1993. Following Bielda’s death, Warren Married Marjorie Rangen. Both are now deceased.

Vern and Bernice Nelson Husband's Full Name: Vern Otto Nelson Husband's Place of Birth: Tolley, ND Husband's Father's Name: Bor Nelson Husband's Mother's Name: Freida Oberg Husband's Siblings' Names: Norman, Lawrence, Roy, A, B, Doris, Margaret, Elaine, Justin Wife's Full Name: Bernice Gladheim Nelson Wife's Place of Birth: Plaza, ND Wife's Father's Name: Ole Gladheim Wife's Mother's Name: Clara Ranum Wife's Siblings' Names: Mildred, Gerda, Doris, Ordean, Cora, Ora, Carol Children's Names: Vernon, Warren, Robert, George, Owen, Curtis, Pam Vern Nelson was born November 25, 1913 at Tolley to Bror and Freda Nelson. He grew up there and began his education. He later moved with his family to the Sanish area where he completed his education. As a young man he entered the Civilian Conservation Corps. He married Bernice Gladheim in June 1942 at San Francisco, California where they made their home until moving back to North Dakota in 1944, She was born at Plaza and raised at Sanish where she graduated from high school in 1934. She worked for the Bank of North Dakota at Bismarck in 1939 during the state centennial celebration. They made their home on a farm south of Manfred until 1950 when they moved to the Gladheim family farm north of Manfred. They were members of the Vang Lutheran Church of Manfred. Bernice was a Sunday School teacher and active in the Vang Ladies Aid. They are buried at the Vang Cemetery north of Manfred.