| Summary: | A history of Finley, North Dakota including family biographies. 141 pages : illustrations 29 cm. GILBERT MUSTAD was bom October 17,1885. Bertine Hilstad was bom April 10, 1888, and they were married May 10, 1908. Mustad first elected auditor of Steele County in 1910 at which time the County Seat was at Sherbrooke. He ran on the Republican ballot with a Finley man, Frank Curry, and T. G. Anderson, the one-time Register of Deeds. The vote was somewhat lighter at that time as women were not permitted to vote. He assumed office in April 1911. In 1918 the electorate of the county voted Finley as the county seat and in the fall of that year the offices were moved to Finley. Some of the offices were located on the second floor of the Citizens State Bank, and the remainder were housed in what is now the fire hall. They continued operating in this fashion until the present courthouse was completed in the fall of 1927. There were 12 children, Gertrude Margaret dying at 4; Martha, Laura, Alma, Bertha, Sylvia, Gertrude, Gilbert Jr., Robert, Alma, Julie, and Constance. Mr. and Mrs. Mustad are both deceased. JOHN PATTERSON was bom of Scotish parents in County Down, Ireland February 1,1821. Mr. Patterson died Dec. 13, 1906. His wife Mary was also born at the same place in Ireland in 1826. The Pattersons were married July 12, 1844 at Rathefriland, County Down, Ireland. The Pattersons came to America in 1852, residing in New York until 1862 when they moved to Piper City, 111. In 1882 they came to Steele County by immigrant car. They settled on Section 6 in Easton Township, three quarters of a mile south of where Finley now stands. They were the first family to locate in Easton Township, and for many years their house was the best in the township. There were eleven children; two, William and Robert settled in Finley. The family moved into Finley in 1901. WILLIAM PATTERSON came with his parents to Steele County, from Piper City, 111. He married Mary Eliza Bartram in 1887. Both Mary and William passed away at Green Acres, Washington, William in 1932 and Mary in 1920. They homesteaded near Finley and were some of the first residents of the new town. They had the following children: Emaline, passed away at age 18; Esther, Mrs. Hort Long, moved to Cardston, Alberta, Canada where she passed away in May 1966. Sara, Mrs. R. W. Long, who lived in Finley all her life, passing away there in December 1946; John Patterson, moved to Green Acres, Washington, now retired. Earl Patterson, Green Acres; Ray Patterson, also Green Acres, now deceased. VIGLEIK E. BOE emigrated from Norway to Goodhue County, Minnesota in 1892. He made his home with an aunt, Mrs. Veljer Olson. He continued his education at St. Olaf College at Northfield, Minn. He then enrolled in the United Lutheran Church Seminary in St. Paul, graduating in May, 1902, and was ordained as Lutheran Minister in July of the same year. In December 1899 he married Maria Haugen who was from the same community as his aunt. In July 1%3 Rev. Boe came to Finley to become the pastor of two country congregations, Ostervold, north of Finley, and Beaver Creek, near Hatton. With him was his wife and two and one- half year old daughter, Gertrude. They lived for a short time with the Absalom Mickelson family in their farm home until a house could be found in town. Later in the same month, July 28,1903 a congregation was organized in Finley. A Ladies Aid was begun November 3 the same year. The first services were held in the Methodist Church. There were few houses in the little new town, and the young congregations were not yet in a position to build a parsonage, so in 1904 Rev. Boe built a house himself. It also served as the place for choir practice, confirmation class meetings and other organizations. Among early programs we find on May 17, 1907 in commemoration of Norway's Constitution Day, a "Supper and entertainment" was given by the Ladies Aid and Choir at the Opera House. The menu included flodegrod, lutefisk, lefse, rullepolse, skinke, poteter, rugbrod, hvedeboller, flatbrod, primost, gammelost, fa't- tigmandsbakkelse, rosetter, kaffe. The Boe family remained in Finley until the end of July, 1909 when they moved to Staten Island, New York City. In 1917 they returned and Rev. Boe served as pastor of three congregation, Finley, Ostervold and Sheyenne Valley until his retirement in 1942. Rev. Boe died at Northfield, Minnesota in June, 1953, at the age of 81; Mrs. Boe died in April 1959 at the age of 88. There were six children, Gertrude Overby, Egbert; Alfhild Everson; Marcus; Victor and Esther. THOMAS V. DEVLIN was bom at Dairy, Ayrshire, Scotland, January 15, 1880 and came to this country the following year, settling in Illinois. He married Elizabeth Keirs June 29, 1904. Mrs. Devlin died in 1959, and Mr. Devlin in 1970, at the age of % years. The T. V. Devlin family came from Illinois to Steele County with two other Devlin families in 1907, settling eventually on the Bill Oxton farm, where they lived for several years. Later they went to the Archer farm, and then bought the farm in Section 1 in Greenview Township. This was their home until 1942 when they moved to a farm in Hugo Township, and then to Valley City where they passed away. Mr. Devlin was active in the early days of the Steele County Fair Association, the Farmers Union, and local school boards. He was active in the Holiday Moritorium the spring of 1933 when farmers were losing their land by foreclosure. He also served several years in the North Dakota House of Representatives. There were six children, Loretta Olson, Mary Ask, Russell T.; Lawrence (deceased); Anna Anderson; and Robert H. Devlin. OSCAR H. CARLSON was engaged in business in a general store in Finley in the early days of Finley. In 1912 he bought an interest in Hammer-Carlson Company, and was its manager until his death in 1930. Mr. Carlson was born in Renville County, Minnesota, in 1870, and moved to Steele County with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Carlson. In 1919 Mr. Carlson was united in marriage to Florence Domier of Portland. Three children survive, Oscar Jr., Marcella and Frances. 69. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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