Florence Swenson, daughter of Sven and Berthea, was born on June 10, 1908 in Valley City. She received her education partially in Valley City and then transferred to Sanborn at a later time. At the age of three, Florence was stricken with infantile paralysis. She was taken to St. Paul, Minnesota, by her father, and at that time she could have had an operation that may have made it possible for her to walk. But due to the fact that it was such a new and untried operation, Sven decided that it was too risky and they returned to Valley City. Through the sponsorship of the Eagles, Florence was given chiropractic treatments instead.

After her father passed away, welfare put Florence on vocational rehabilitation. She chose to go into cosmetology and beautician work. She attended Minnette's Beauty School for 7 months and then went into partnership in a beauty shop at Poplar, MT but later decided to work in a shop at Cando, North Dakota.

Beauty work became too strenuous for Florence because of the long periods of standing, so she went to work for her aunt, Inga (Svenson) Grotberg.

After that she worked for a short while as a school lunch cook in the Eckelson School System. But due to her sister-in-law's death (Mrs. George Swenson), she quit her job and went to live with her brother and his two stepchildren.

In the years that followed, she worked off and on for her brother-in-law, Arthur Falvey, as a cook for their farm crew. During the afternoons she would work as a mender at the Green Valley Laundry in Valley City.

Florence retired in 1965 and still resides in Valley City with her brother, George Swenson.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 242