| Summary: | COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY. 725 has made his home there since that date and has succeeded in bringing the land to a high state of cultivation, and is now the owner of one section, all of which is tillable. (Jur subject was married, February 15. 1899, to Annie C. Hanson, a native of Minnesota. Mr. Akesson has filled various local ottices, including supervisor and school treasurer, and is actively interested in the welfare of his adopted land. He holds membership in the Masonic fraternity and the Foresters, and in political sentiment is inde-pendent. He has visited his native land twice since takmg up his residence in America. MDALIN COxXGREGATIOX OF EVAN-GELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, of Akra, Pembina county, was established in 1886 by Rev. P". J. Bergmann, and was the pioneer congregation of central Pembina county. Rev. Jonas A. Sigurds-son is the present pastor, and the church is now in a flourishing condition financially and steadily in-creases in membership. X'idalin congregation was divided and sub-divided and finally almost ceased existence until 1893, when Rev. Sigurdsson was sent there as pas-tor, and under his guidence the interest has con-tinually increased and the congregation now con-sists of about one hundred families. JoN.vs A. Sigurdsson was born in Iceland, May 6, 1865, and was the oldest in a family of four children born to Sigurden and Gudrun (Jonas-son) Sigurdsson. The family is from an old Norse family and the father of our subject was a farmer by occupation. Our subject was given a good edu-cation with private tutors for three years and grad-uated from the Agricultural College and remained at home until about twenty-two years of age. He then emigrated to America to further his education, and went to Hamilton, Pembina county. North Dakota, in 1887, and there began at farm work and attended the English schools. He entered the Evangelical Lutheran Theological Seminary at Chicago in 1890, and graduated with the class of 1893, and a portion of the last year was spent in practical work in Pembina county. He was or-dained a minister June 25, 1893, and at once as-sumed charge of Vidalin church and congregation at Pembina. Five congregations are now under his charge, including Vadalin congregation, with a church building; Pembina congregation, consisting of fifty families, and a church building erected under the management of our subject; Hallson con-gregation, established by our subject in 1894, and has thirty-five families and a church building erected in 1899 Peter's congregation in Akra township, Pembina county, organized in 1893, an;! has about sixty families and a church building; and Grafton congregation at Grafton, North Da-kota. From fifteen to sixteen hundred communi-cants are in church and all the various congrega-tions are on a firm financial standing, and the work is progressing most satisfactorily. Mr. Siguards-son is interested heartily in his work and is beloved by his people. Our subject was married, in 1890, to Miss Oddrun Frimann. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Sigurdson. named as follows: Torfi, Jonas and Haraldur. Mr. Siggurdsson is a strong temperance worker, and is a leader of re-form in that line. MENZO \\. PORTER. As a representative farmer and citizen of Bell township, Cass county, the name of Mr. Porter may well be mentioned. He has devoted his entire attention to the cultivation and operation of his farm since taking up his resi-dence in North Dakota over fifteen years ago, and now has one of the best farms of his vicinity. He is energetic and industrious and occupies a high position in the minds of the people. Our subject was born in AlaUison county. New York, February 26, 1827. His parents, Roswell and Nancy (Shattuck) Porter, were natives of Con-necticut. His father was a carpenter and joiner, and settled at Hamilton, Madison county. New York, where he spent his career and died April 7, 1853. He served in the war of 1812 with the rank of lieutenant. . Tlie grandfather of our subject, El-eazer Porter, was a native of Connecticut, and was a soldier in the Revolutionary war, and passed the last of his years in New York state. Our subject was one of a family of seven chil-dren, three sons and four daughters, and is the only one of the number in North Dakota. He was reared and educated in New York and began his career as a farmer, which he followed in that state until 1853, when he removed to Boone county, Illinois, and pur-chased land and made his home there until 1863, and then moved to Pennsylvania, and located near Oil City, and was engaged in the oil business there. He resided in Pennsylvania until 1883 and then went to North Dakota, and settled in Bell township, Cass county, and opened up a new farm. He has made his home there continuously since that date, and has met with success in general farming. Our subject was niarrried, in 1846, to Mariah A. Muir, a native of New York. Mrs. Porter died August 28, 1891, leaving three sons and one daugh-ter, as follows: De Elbert, De Azro and De Elwin and Alice E., now Mrs. E. H. Austin. Mr. Porter assisted in the organization of his township and has served in various local offices. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and in political faith is in-dependent. GEORGE YOUNG, a successful and well-to-do farmer of township 145, range 62, Foster county, is one of the old settlers of that region, and his farm is one of the well improved estates of his vicinity, and has been acqured by persistent efforts and hon-est industrv. Internet Archive
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