H. J. Hanson came to Litchfield, Minnesota, as a young lad with his parents from Norway. Oxen were the mode of travel, there being no railroads west of St. Paul at that time. Here he grew to manhood and married Minnie Wenneson at Grove City, Minnesota. In 1881 he and his wife homesteaded a pre-emption claim in Section 8 of what is now Litchville township, LaMoure County, named after his boyhood home in Minnesota. The Hanson home became the center of the community as church was held there and a small store added to the house.
In 1886 a move was made to Section 10 and H. J. Hanson was appointed postmaster of the community called "Litchville". In 1900 the Marion branch of the Northern Pacific railroad was built. H. J. Hanson quickly moved his post office some six miles northwest to the railroad without notifying the post office department. He remained the postmaster for twenty-three years. He and his family were the first inhabitants of what is now Litchville in Barnes County.
Charles William Hanson, his son, married Ida Constance Nelson, August 18, 1906 and five children were born to this couple: Mable Hanson, a foster daughter, married H. B. Offerdahl and they reared four children.
Mrs. Jacob (H. J.) Hanson died in 1912 and later H. J. Hanson married Ina Weise.
H. J. Hanson passed away in May 1938. Mrs. Ina Hanson passed away in 1975.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 93