Niels Hemmingson

Niels Hemmingson. one of the most progressive and influential citizens of Griggs county, is successfully pursuing agriculture in Greenfield township and is a man of careful methods and practical nature, he makes his home on section 10, of Greenfield township, where he located in pioneer days, and his farm is well improved and convenient to the village of Hannaford, North Dakota.

Our subject was born on the picturesque island of Moen, Denmark, December 22, 1845, and was the tenth in a family of eleven children, seven sons and four daughters, born to Hemming and Caren (Hanson) Rasmussen, both of whom were natives of Denmark. His father was a soldier in the regular army of Denmark and served six years as corporal. His parents died in their native land at an advanced age.

Mr. Hemmingson completed his education in his native land and remained at home until twenty-two years of age, when he emigrated to America to seek his fortune in the New World. He located at Ford county, Illinois, where he worked on a farm for some time and from thence went to Manistee, Michigan, and then went into the pineries and worked during fifteen winters and spent his summers at farm labor in Wisconsin and Minnesota. He went to Griggs county. North Dakota, in 1883 and filed claim to the land on which he now resides. He went to Dakota without means, but is now the fortunate possessor of four hundred and eighty acres of land and has added such improvements to the place as entitle it to rank among the foremost farms of Griggs county.

Our subject was married, in Racine county, Wisconsin in 1873, to Miss Mary Skarie, a native of Norway. Mrs. Hemmingson was born in 1843 and came to America when a child aged four years. One child has been born to bless the home of Mr. and Mrs. Hemmingson, Walter, who at present has charge of the home farm. Mr. Hemmingson is a man who keeps pace with the times in all public affairs and is active in his labors for the advancement of his community. He was appointed county commissioner during territorial days and served on that body twelve years. He has held numerous offices in his township and the honor of christening the township was conferred upon him. H« is a Republican in political sentiment.

Source:  Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 429