Rier Rierson (Ryerson) and his wife Karen came to North Dakota from Stavanger, Norway in 1881 and took up a homestead in Hobart Township in Barnes County. His sons Robert and Cornelius also came and built on his land. Cornelius and his father later went to Chicago where other relatives had settled. Cornelius stayed in Chicago to work on the railroad. Robert stayed on the farm. His father later returned to live with Robert and his family. He is buried in Hillsdale Cemetery.
Robert's first wife and a child died and were buried out at Berea. Other children from the marriage were Sena, Alec -who lived all their lives in Valley City -and Sarah and Ella.
Robert Rierson went back to Norway in about 1898 or 1899 and married Christina Swenson. Her parents were Gabriel and Sabrena Swenson.
On their way back to North Dakota, Robert and Christina stopped in Chicago where their first child, Ruby, was born on February 15, 1900. Six weeks later they returned to the farm in North Dakota. Other Ryerson children were Roy, Carl, Valborg (Benzinger), Louise (Marler), Amelia (Bruce), Gilbert, Rachel (Conrad), Ernest, Christine (Vukich), and Robert. Rachel, Louise, Ernest and Christine are deceased. Valborg and Jack Benzinger resided all their married years in Valley City. She still resides here as does her daughter Marilyn, Mrs. Paul Denning and husband and daughter Laurie. Other Benzinger children are John, Betty, Dorothy, Robert and Dale.
Robert and Virginia Ryerson and their children Robert Lynn, Joanne, Jill, Connie, and Tammy also still live in Valley City.
Ruby Ryerson married Raymond Myers in 1918. He had come to North Dakota as a farm worker. They lived in Valley City with their children Marvin, Leona (Gassmann), Geraldine (Grimseth), Charlotte (Sandness), Barbara (Woodard), and David, until 1948. The Alvin Sandnesses and Tammy, and LeEtta Rankin and family still live in Valley City too. Leona Myers married Robert Gassmann in 1946. They have three children Raymond, Elizabeth, and Timothy. Raymond and wife Helen, now living in Barnes County have two children, Lisa and Kurt Gassmann, who are the 5th generation of Gassmanns and the 6th generation from the Ryerson side of the family to reside in Barnes County.
Sarah (Ryerson) Gilbertson told of being one of the only Norwegian children in the rural school where the other children were mostly of German families. The other children teased her because she was different. She was befriended by another little girl who became her good friend. The girl was Elizabeth Tullius, aunt of Bob who our daughter Elizabeth was named for.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 204