| Summary: | MY PARENTS WERE EARLY SETTLERS By William Freeman One of the earliest permanent settlers in the Mouse River valley north and east of Upham was my grandfather, Helgi Gudmundson (Goodman). He first visited the area in the fall of 1886 seeking new land. Accompanying him in his search were his son, John Goodman, and my father, George Freeman. Both of the latter were young single men anxious to find opportunities for livestock farming. When the three reached the river near where the Freeman bridge now stands they found what they had been seeking - hay- land on one side and good upland grass on the other side of the river. There was timber for the erection of buildings and for fuel and plenty of water and shelter for stock in the tree belts growing along the stream. Here was land for homestead entry. Except for ranchers who kept large herds of cattle on government owned land, there were no others to occupy the area. During late fall that year (1886) the two younger men returned to the Red River settlement to prepare for the spring activities when they would move into new surroundings. Grandfather Helgi remained in the valley where he had secured winter employment a short distance up the river at the Andrew Nohle ranch. He would save his pay to use in the establishment of a new home. His family would come frm the settlement in the spring. On April 16, 1887, my father and John Goodman returned to the valley, bringing my mother who was then a young woman with them. She was to help my grandfather in preparing the new home for the Goodman family. My grandmother Helga and her three sons would reach the area that summer. Located about three-fourth of a mile due west from the Freeman bridge, the home was built of logs and the settlement of the area was under way. After a year of living in the pioneer settlement with my grandparents, my parents were married, June 26, 1888, at Mountain, North Dakota. My folks started their married life under very modest financial circumstances. Years later my Dad reported that at the time of his wedding he had in his possession a five dollar gold piece and a half dollar coin. The smaller coin was considered of insufficient value to reward the minister for his work. Dad kept the 50 cent piece but the preacher received the gold coin. Through the purchase of a relinquishment, my parents became the owners of the land adjacent to the present Freeman bridge in Mouse River township. At that time the first of the three bridges which were erected on the site was still twenty years in the future and the organization of the township was to await many more years. Both Dad and Mother were born in Iceland, my father in 1865 and my mother in 1872. Nine years old when he first came to the United States, my father had little formal schooling but he had read widely and was self taught. He was quite skillful with figures for a self educated man. Mother was ten years old when she reached the United States. Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited in Multi-page TIFF Editor.
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