Jorgen, son of Mathea Martinsdatter and Julius Johansen, was born January 5, 1886 at Kvebeck on the Horland farm in the County of Toten, Norway. He was baptized March 20, 1887 at Balke Church. As a youth he worked in a bakery. Later he went to sea and earned a master's license for coastal and inland waters. Through the good fortune of being at the right place at the right time he became the owner of a freight boat on the Lake Mjosa near his birthplace. He took his brother Olaf into partnership. They moved to the villa Frydenlund on Totenviken on the Lake Mjosa and from thence he took his name.
In 1910 he decided to try his luck in America and leaving his brother with the boat and the care of their mother, he emigrated. Since he had a friend, Oscar Haagenson, at Nome, North Dakota, he went there. At that time you needed a sponsor to come to this country, arrangements were made with Martin Wilberg of Thordenskjold Township to sponsor Mr. Frydenlund. He worked for Mr. Wilberg for a while, then set out to look for a homestead. He went to western North Dakota and looked over the country, working for Swedish and Danish homesteaders part of the time. He couldn't see how anyone could make a living on a quarter section in this area so he moved on. He also checked some homestead land in northwestern Minnesota but found this to be all swamp land. He returned to the Nome area and worked on the Peder Hexhus (Miller) farm in Thordenskjold township near Nome. While there he married Marie Miller, granddaughter of the Hexhuses and took over management of the Hexhus farm. Mr. Hexhus lost the farm through foreclosure and Mr. Frydenlund continued on as a renter. He bought the farm during the early 1930s but because of the drought and depression he couldn't make a go of it so he sold out in 1937 and devoted most of the rest of his working life to livestock care. He died August 7, 1963 at Nome.
Marie Miller, daughter of Martin and Mathilda (Johnson) Miller, was born at Dunseith, North Dakota October 9, 1902. Her mother died shortly after her birth and she was brought up by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Peder Hexhus. She attended Nome school and was a member of St. Petri Lutheran Church. Being a farmwife and mother took up most of her time for most of her life. In her last years she was a telephone operator for Intercommunity Telephone Co., at Nome. She died March 12, 1952.
There were seven children: Marvin born October 10, 1918. Married Viola Dexter of Detroit, MI, presently living in Utica, MI; Roy born August 7, 1920. Married Erna Zaun, Valley City, North Dakota, presently living in Moorhead, Minnesota; Alice born March 18, 1923. Married Sigvold Hovde of Kathryn, North Dakota, living at rural Nome, North Dakota; Dora born March 13, 1925. Married Norel Brendmoen of Valley City, North Dakota, presently living at Fergus Falls, Minnesota; Earl born January 9, 1928. Married Lois Fey of Sheldon, North Dakota, presently living at Edgeley, North Dakota; Donald born April 26, 1934. Married Deloris Derheim, Valley City, North Dakota, presently living at Lamar, Colorado; Frances born January 19, 1940. Married Douglas Fischer of Edgeley, North Dakota, presently living at Renton, Washington.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 74