| Summary: | 1174: COMPEXDIUM OF HISTORY AXD BIOGRAPHY. father settled in Ontario, Canada, and there began farming, and as he has been employed as foreign sorter for fifteen years, farming was entirely new to him and was likewise a strange life to our sub-ject. He assisted on the home farm, however, until nineteen years of age, when he entered the employ of Ludgate Lumber Company, of Peterboro, On-tario, and remained with them twelve years, and in 1878 went to California and in the spring of 1879 visited his brother-in-law in Pembina county, and while there entered claim to the land which he now owns, and was on of the earliest prairie settlers. He built a temporary log house and stable and worked in the lumber woods and at odd jobs, but was compelled to begin farming in debt for machin-ery. He erected a substantial and modern residence in 1897 and enjoys the comforts of rural life and has a good farm in every particular. Mr. Watts was married, in 1880, to IMary J. Johnson. Three children have been born to Mr. and Airs. Watts, named as follows: Herbert E., Ward E. and Nora. Mr. Watts assisted in the organi-zation of his township and has served in most of the important offices of the township, including clerk and notary public. He was eleven years on the township school board as clerk and chairman. As proof of the confidence placed in him he was elected a state representative in 1898 and while serv-ing was chairman of the joint committee and also the committee on charitable institutions and served as a member of the engrossment, highway, bridges and ferries, six in all, and military committee and committee on municipal corporations. He is ' a stanch Republican and is a member of the Alasonic fraternity and Independent Order of Foresters. JL'D(_;E ANDREW L. FREEGORD, one of the most popular and influential citizens of Nel-son county, has held the ofiice of county judge for many years, and is a gentleman of broad mind, intelligent and progressive and thoroughly aw'ake to the needs of his community. He was born on the farm Klevan, Storcjalen, north Troncjhjemsi Amt, Norway. June 24, 1856. He was the only child born to Lars and Ingeborg (or Emily) Fri-gord. The father died when our subject was two years of age, on the passage to America, and his resting place was in the waters of the St. Law-rence gulf. The mother and son went direct to Red Wing, Minnesota, and the mother was left without support in a destitute condition, w^orked hard to earn a livelihood for herself and boy. She later married Mr. Lindstrom, and they made a home in Goodhue county, Minnesota, and there our subject was reared to farm labor. When he was eighteen years of age he entered the St. Anskarius Academy at Carver, Minnesota, and at the age of twenty years began teaching and entered St. Gustavus Adoliihus College, at St. Peter, and then taught schfK)l until 1882, when he \wnt to Lari-more and engaged in clerking in a store anc^ also took land in section 17, in Lee township, in what is now Nelson county, and in the fall of 1882, at a cost of twenty-six dollars per load for hauling of lumber, built a small frame house, and he was the first settler of Lee township on the prairie. The following spring he was appointed notary public, and also located settlers and made loans for East-ern parties and then entered final proofs and con-tests. The same spring he made final proofs on his own farm, and in the fall of 1883 began the development of the place. He served as notary pub-lic eight years and county justice six years, and assisted in the organization of the township for both civil and school purposes. He was elected county judge in 1892 and re-elected in 1894, 1896 and 1898. He now owns five hundred and twenty acres of land in Nelson county, most of which he operates by hired help. Our subject was married, in the summer of 1882, to Miss Sigri Kristoferson, who was born in the same locality as Mr. Freegord. Seven children have been born to bless their home, named as follows : Lorenze Soren Joel, deceased : Philip E. Joel W. Genevieve E. and Manilla \'. 'Sir. Freegord is a member of the Lutheran church and politically is a Populist. He is one of the best known and most highly esteemed men of Nelson county, and well merits his high standing and success. RE\". FREDRICK J. BERGMANN, pastor of Gardar congregation of the Icelandic Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran church of America, is a gen-tleman of the highest intelligence and is possessed of excellent education and an earnest desire to serve those among whom he labors. His many friends will be glad to see his portrait in connection with this sketch. He was born in Akureyri, Iceland, April 15, 1858, and was the elder of two children born to Jon and Haldora ( Bessason ) Bergmann, both of whom now reside with our subject. Our subject was reared to farm work, but de-voted much time to study and entered a Latin school, when he began investigation regarding the New- World, and accordingly emigrated to America in 1875, landing at New York. He went to Toronto, Canada, and worked at railroading there and then went to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was em-ployed at farm labor and from thence went to Shewano, Wisconsin. He passed the winter there with Rev. Paul Thorlaksson. the pioneer Icelandic minister of America, and through his influence he entered the Lutheran Colleee in Decorah, Iowa, in the fall of 1876. and graduated with the degree of B. A. in 1881. He then began teaching and was engaged most of the time in Goodhue county, Minnesota. He came to Pembina county. North Dakota, in the s])ring of 1882. and in company with E. H. Bergman, established a general store at Gardar, and was there one year, during which time he decided to study for the ministry, and he accord- Internet Archive
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