| Summary: | needed a helping hand they were there and ready to do anything to help each other. Communications were by foot or horse, very different from the telephones, radios, TV's, fast cars, jet planes, which they are trying to make faster. Next outer space travel, who knows? Fifty or sixty years ago we would have been filled with awe and unbelieving if we could have seen what we have today. Communications have made our world smaller, we are no longer isolated from the rest of the world and its troubles. What will the next fifty years bring? We hope there will be many marvelous cures for disease and new inventions as great as those we enjoy today but above all we hope for Peace among Nations. THE T. P. THON FAMILY Hannah T. Wilson was born September 22, 1877, in Yellow Medicine County, Minnesota. She was one of nine children born to Mr. & Mrs. Ole Wilson. She spent her first twenty years in the county of her birth. Her oldest brother, Gilman, had taken up a homestead southeast of the present site of Crosby. (He later sold his homestead to Bert Pederson and went to the Peace River Country in Canada where he took up a homestead. He resided here until he was killed when his team of horses ran away in 1918). When he returned to his home he persuaded his sister to come to North Dakota to take up a homestead. Her first residence in the state was at Minot where she worked for a short time before coming to Columbus where she was employed when she filed for a homestead in June of 1906. Before final proof of her homestead could be made she was required to have a well, a cabin, and five acres of land broken. It was on December 24, 1906 that she took up her residence on her homestead which was located on the Northwest Quarter of Section 5-162-102. Her postoffice address at that time was Rolson. Her home became a stopping off place for the many people who were passing through either looking for a homestead or returning to their homes after having been in town for supplies. At approximately the same time as Hannah T. Wilson came from Minnesota to North Dakota, Theodore Pederson and his sister, Gunda, (Mrs. E. Rukke) came from Norway. They came to the home of their brother, August, near Langdon in Cavalier County. They were both born in Modum, Norway. Another brother, Bert, had already taken a homestead southeast of Crosby on the quarter joining the present Concordia Cemetery on the south. In the last day of 1905 Theodore came here to visit his brother but stayed on to help as his brother had acquired a large outfit which he used to break up land for homesteaders. That spring they broke up about 1200 acres of land. That same fall Bert purchased a threshing outfit and had the longest threshing run of any threshers. (Bert later sold his homestead, returned to Norway where he married. When he returned to North Dakota he settled at Langdon where he farmed until his death in the early fifties.) In March 1906 Theodore filed for a homestead and that same fall he took up his residence on the Northwest Quarter of Section 3-162-102. He, too, had to meet the same requirements as the other homesteaders in order to keep his homestead. It was while homesteading that Theodore Pederson (in 1912 he took out his intention papers to become a United States Citizen and changed his name from Pederson to Thon) and Hannah T. Wilson met. On July 19, 1907, they were married; the ceremony taking place at Minot, North Dakota. They have since made their home on Hannah's homestead where in a short period of time they built a small house to replace the sod shanty of homestead days. In the summer of 1913 their home was badly damaged by a cyclone which passed through that area destroying their neighbor's home completely. As more homesteaders moved in, Mr. & Mrs. Thon saw the need of a church in the community so they contacted Pastor Olaf Ylviskar at Crosby who drove out to conduct services once a month for about four years from 1908 to 1912. Services were at first held at the Thon home. As time went on a congregation was organized. A Ladies Aid was later organized by the women. (This congregation was later moved to Westby and is now a part of the Immanuel Lutheran Church of Westby.) Mr. & Mrs. Thon erected a large home on their farm in 1928. They are still residing here where they farmed until last year when Mr. Thon retired. They are the parents of seven children all of whom are still living. Orton has his own farm but lives at home with his parents. Enid Elm resides at Minot with her son, Leslie. She is presently employed at Minot Federal Savings and Loan Company. Phyllis is married to Avery L. Hammer of Fertile, Minnesota. They are now living at New Ulm, Minnesota, where Mr. Hammer is employed as a salesman. They are the parents of four children, Avis (Mrs. Robert Lageson) of St. Paul, Eldon and Clinton of New Ulm and Myla May (Mrs. Frank Koppi) of Minneapolis. Clifton is married to the former Clara Kvigne of Ambrose. They are living in Minot where both are employed. Clifton is an electrician; he has worked at various places including Seattle, Thule Airforce Base in Greenland, Garrison Dam and Minot Airforce Base. Gladys is married to Clifford M. Jorde and residing in Thief River Falls, Minnesota. They have two children, Glenice (Mrs. David Clough) of Thief River is a nurse and Marvin a teacher of St. Paul. Clarice, a teacher employed by Divide County School District, is married to Lars Windfaldet and they live on their farm south of Ambrose. They are the parents of three children. Lyle, who is Farmers Union Insurance Agent and Manager of Crosby Co-op Credit Union at Crosby, Myrna, who is employed at the ASCS office at Crosby, and Elaine (Mrs. Jerry B. Downey) a stenographer, who is living at Minneapolis. Thornton is married to the former Gladys Palmer and they are the parents of two sons, Paul and Mark. They reside on their farm near Frazee, Minnesota, and Thornton is employed in construction work. Mr. and Mrs. Thon also have thirteen great grandchildren. 451 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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