Thorval J. Lee was born at Kongsberg, Norway, June 29, 1849, son of John Lee, who was employed in the silver mines owned and operated by the government of Norway. Thorval J. Lee was the second in a family of seven. He left Norway April 1869, landing in Quebec. His ticket was to Stoughton, Wisconsin. The immigrants were taken by box cars from Quebec to Grand Harbor, MI, a nine day trip, then across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee and to Stoughton. Mr. Lee was a carpenter and found work in a carriage shop; his pay was to be $14.00 per month and board. He worked with a contractor until 1870 when he started contracting on his own.
In September 21, 1872 Thorval Lee and Mathilda Hanson were married. She was a native of Sweden and an orphan. They had known each other in Norway and she came out to Wisconsin from Drannen Norway in 1871. They rented a small tobacco farm and he worked on it and as a carpenter until 1878 when he came to Dakota Territory. He filed on a tree claim in Green Township then returned to Wisconsin. The next year in June 18, 1879 he brought his wife and family and filed on a homestead in Norma Township, which became the farm home. He built a sod house in which they lived for four years. The sod house was replaced by a frame house in 1884 and by a modern residence in 1909. The Lee home was a social center and in the early days a half-way house for settlers traveling by ox teams to Valley City. Mr. Lee built many of the first frame buildings in his neighborhood.
Nine children were born to this couple:
Henry T.,
Carl,
Albert,
Hulda,
Anthon,
Oscar,
Melvin,
Anna and
Alfred.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 139