| Summary: | Friends and Neighbors Township lines do not make community lines necessarily, and it is easy to understand that some of the folks who live in the northeastern part of Preston Township would consider Nome or Enderlin as their community. Likewise, northwestern Northland residents are more apt to think of Kathryn and Litchville. Those living in the southeastern part of Springer are closer to Lisbon than to Fort. Although the early settlers on these farms may have come to the mill at Fort Ransom in the early days, later interests took them to these other towns. On the other hand there are also some very loyal to the Fort Ransom community who live outside the boundaries of our four townships. For example, the Jacob Jacobsons of LaMoure County, Oscar and Inga Kylstad of Hanson Township and their son, Irvin, and the W. Hansons that used to live along Highway 27 in Hanson. The Kylstad family is included in the history of the Peder Dunderland Anderson family, for Mrs. Kylstad is George Anderson's sister. George Anderson's maternal grandfather, Johannes Jens Kvam and his wife Petrine Amelie Christofferson, lived in Hanson Township where they settled in the eighties. Their children were born in Hanson Township and two sons died in infancy and a daughter at eight months. Their closest neighbors were the Babcock family to the east, and Mr. and Mrs. Peter Berg to the west. Their son, Palmer, recalls that his parents used to tell how the Indians from the Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota and the Fort Totten Reservation on Devils Lake, used to pass by their place in the spring and in the fall, sometimes a continuous migration for several days. After completing seeding in 1902, John (Johannes) made a cover for his lumber wagon and hitched old Frank and Bill to it. With provisions his wife Petrine loaded in the wagon, he headed northwest. He followed the Soo Line for 225 miles, finally finding the place he wanted 14 miles south of Balfour. He filed his claim, built a sod house and went back for the family. After harvesting their crop they loaded their belongings on two wagons and with the milk cows following, set out for Fingal. Here they went by train to Balfour. They said it took longer to say goodbye to their good friends, the Bergs, than it did to load the wagons. John M. Kylstad The Kylstads have long been a part of the Fort Ransom community both socially and in a business sense. John M. Kylstad came to this part of the country in 1880. He was born on a farm in Hedamarken, Norway. In 1892, he married Enga Jodsaas. They had a son, Oscar Melius. Enga's parents were Ole and Kjerston Jodsaas. John died in May of 1934. Oscar was born on the home farm in section 8 of Hanson Township, June 10, 1893. In June, 1914, he married Inga Pauline Anderson, daughter of Peder and Ingeborg Anderson of Fort Ransom Township. Inga was born January 18, 1896. Oscar and Inga lived their married lives on section 5, Hanson Township, except for a few years when they lived in Lisbon and Oscar worked for the Lisbon Creamery. They had nine children: Ida Johanna; Irvin Melvin, who now operates the home farm; Philip Orville; Eldeane Lucille (Mrs. Harold Johnson); Walvin Eugene, a carpenter who married Miss Newman of Lisbon; Grace Maxine (Mrs. Charles Kern); Eldred Lewellyn who is deceased; Joyce Marilyn (Mrs. Sanford Kieznetz); and Judith Anita (Mrs. Lawrence Ruud). Nels Anderson came from Norway in 1894 and settled in section 6 of Hanson Township. He was born June 24, 1869. His wife, Gertrude Peterson, was born December 1, 1872, in Norway. They were married November 11, 1892, at Fort Ransom. They were farmers and had four sons: Kernel was born April 29, 1893; and Harold was born August 4, 1909. They were both farmers. Alvin was born May 2, 1906 and Andor on June 11, 1900. Both worked on the railroad. Kernel Anderson farmed in section 4 of Hanson Township. He married Alma Olson and they had ten children: Florence, Francis, Annie, Ovie, Lorraine, Lillian, Marvin, Alice, Julie and Phyllis. John Martin Jacobson came from Mo i Rana, Norway, where he was born August 7, 1857. His wife, Sofie Dorthea, came from Urtfjeld, Mo i Rana, where she was born August 24, 1870. He died April 1, 1938, and she died May 27, 1947. John settled in the NWVi of section 12, of Black Loam Township in LaMoure County in the 1880's. They were married in the late 1880's and lived out their lives in the same area. They were members of the Standing Rock Church in Fort Ransom. They had eight children: Anna (Mrs. Peder Skonseng) was born April 13, 1892,she had four children; Palmer was born April 4, 1894, married Ragna Hanson and they have 12 children; Louise (Mrs. John Bjornhei) was born September 15, 1898 and they had five children; Josine was born June 27, 1901, and died February 11,1908; Jacob was born January 23,1904. He married Berniece Hegli, and they have two children; Olga was born February 9, 1906, and died February 14, 1908; Arthur was born May 22,1911. He married Magdeline Wanner and they have three children; Gunnar was born January 14, 1914 and died July 26, 1976. He left one child. There were twenty seven grandchildren of John and Sophie. Jacob A.S. Jacobson married Berniece Heglie, who was born October 17, 1909, in Richland County. They were married in Fargo, November 3, 1942. Berniece was the daughter of Ole Edwin and Linna Mathilda Heglie. Both of them lived out their lives in the Walcott- Christine area. They had nine children and 20 grandchildren. Jacob and Bereniece had a son, Jerome Orlyn, who died in infancy. In November of 1944, they adopted LaVonne May, who was born October 17, 1939. She married Lawrence Bixby in August, 1957, and they have four children: Pamela Jean, who was born January 11, 1958; Mary Lee was born October 2, 1959, and died January 6, 1960; Laura Lynn was born December 30, 1961; and Angela Mae was born November 25, 1965. 113 Scanned with a Zeutschel Zeta book scanner at 300 dpi. Edited with Multi-Page TIFF Editor.
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