| Summary: | 1022 COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY age, when Ite removed with his father to Crooks-ton in 1878, where he lived until 1893, occupying positions in the Fontaine & Anglim mercantile es-tablishment. He was with the "Crookston Times" several years and also served three years as city clerk of the city of Crookston. He removed to Grand Forks in 1893, ^"'^ i" company with W. E. Mc- Kenzie, became owner of the "Plaindealer." This is the oldest paper of the state, with one exception, and since 1892 has been the only Democratic daily in the state. Since taken by Mr. Carruth and Mr. JMcKenzie the "Plaindealer" has gained in circu-lation and prominence and is now one of the lead-ing newspapers of the Northwest. Our subject was married, in the fall of 1888, to Miss Emily A. McKenzie, of Crookston, Minne-sota. Mr. Carruth is a member of the Knights of Pvthias, Elks, Sons of \"eterans and is past master workman of the Ancient Order of United \\'ork-men. and also holds membership in the Knights of Malta. He is a young man of practical experience in newspaper work and has gained a host of friends and made a success in North Dakota, and by his editorship and management of the "Plaindealer" has evidenced excellent business capacity. Connected with the Democratic party he has become well known. He was elected secretary of the state Democratic central committee in 1894, serving con-tinuously up to the present time, and was re-elected in 1900 to serve until 1902. He was also elected as secretary of the state executive committee and with Chairman Kleinogel managed the campaigns of i89r>. 1898 and 1900. SI\'ER SERUMGARD, a prominent attorney of Devils Lake, is the senior partner of the well-known real estate firm of Serumgard & Moen, of Devils Lake. He was born in Lesje parish, Norway, De-cember II, 1859. Mr. Serumgard came to .\nierica with his par-ents in 1868 and settled on a farm in Watonwan county, Minnesota, where he was reared to man-hood and where he lived until 1882. He was edu-cated in the high school in Mankato and at the State L'niversity at Minneapolis, where he gradu-ated in the literary class of 1890 and from the law department the same year. He was admitted to the bar at Devils Lake in July, 1890. and began the practice of his profession at Cooperstown, North Dakota, where he remained one year and then lo-cated in Devils Lake in the spring of 1891. He has .since followed practice there and is largely in-terested in real estate in Ramsey county. He came to North Dakota in 1882 and taught school for some time in Fargo and also taught in Cooperstown until he was admitted to the bar. In August, 1892, in comiiany with Mr. L. D. McGohen, he established the i^aper published in Devils Lake, known as "The I'Vce Press." This was a Democratic paper and had a wide circulation. CHir subject was married, in Covington, Ken-tucky, February 12, 1894, to ^liss Grace E. Kirker, a native of Manchester, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Se-rumgard are the parents of three children, named as follows: Arthur K. Grace B. and Dorothy D. Our subject was appointed by Governor Shortridge, in 1893, as regent of the North Dakota State L'ni-versity for four' years. He has lieen city attorney for Devils Lake three terms and has also been alder-man in the city and is one of the public-spirited men of that locality. He is a member' of the Presby-terian church and in political sentiment is Demo-cratic, with which party he has been identified since 1888. Mr. Serumgard formed a partnership with Egild T. Moen, October 1,1898, and this well-known firm conducts an extensive real estate, loan and collection business. STIGUR THORWALDSON. the efficient and popular postmaster of Akra, and general merchant of that place, is of foreign birth, but brought to this country the thrift and industry of his native land, and has prospered amid the discouragements under which many others would have given up the struggle, and he is now one of the substantial men of tliat region. He owns extensive farming lands near the town, which he devotes to diversified farm-ing with marked success, and has a prosperous mer-cantile business in the town. In the accunuilation of the estate, Mrs. Thorwaldson has borne a fair share of the good management which has resulted so well. The reader will find his portrait else-where, and will find it that of a strong, manly char-acter. Our subject was born in Iceland, December 17, 1853, ''"c^ '* '^1'^ eldest of a family of twelve children born to Thorwald Stigson and W'ilborg Johnsdat-ter, both of whom are deceased. He was born on a farm, and engaged in stock raising and fishing with his father until he reached the age of twenty-five years, when the father died, and our subject assumed sole charge of the farm. After three years of work thereon, he decided to emigrate to a larger field of labor, and with a fair knowledge of English and hearing much of the Red river valley, he decided to try his fortune in the Northwest in America, and in the fall of 1881 left the old country, and September 8 arrived at Pembina with the mother and ten brothers and sisters. He rented a house for the family in Akra township, and then went to Cavalier county in search of a location, but finding none to suit returned to Pembina and soon afterward married. Mrs. Thorwaldson has home-steaded land in Joliette township, and that was sold and the quarter where they now reside was pur-chased, and they took up their permanent residence on the banks of the Tongue river. They had a log cabin for a home, and began the development of the farm, and until 1888 met with success at farm work. They made permanent improvements, and in the fall of that year, with a capital of four hunilreil dol-lars, which he had accumulated, started a small Internet Archive
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