Jacob Ramsey History

Jacob Peder Ramsey was born in Gudvagen, Norway May 20, 1875.  He immigrated to United States when he was 14 to Emmons, Minnesota, where he met and married Anna Bertina Thompson, October 23, 1897.  He became a naturalized citizen in Freeborn Company, Minnesota on May 22, 1900.

Eleven children were born to them and they are all living yet.  In 1916 they came by train to Binford with two carloads of livestock, machinery and furniture.  The first night they spent with his brother, Andrew Ramsey and family, who farmed north west of Binford.  The next day they began moving their property to a farm that they had rented from Oscar Greenland, south west of Binford, about eight miles.  They lived there one year and then they moved one mile north and a half a mile west, to a farm owned by the Halvorson Thompson Land Company.  He later bought the farm and built a new eight room house and a big granary, cattle shed, machine shed and a lean on the barn.  The children walked 11/2 miles to school, in Bryan Township.  The children are: 

  1.  PALMER, 77 years of age.  He married Helen Evenson and they have seven children.  They moved to Texas in 1938 and he worked in the Oil Fields as a mechanic until retiring.  
  2. ALBERT, 75 years of age married Minnie Brudvig Rothert, they farmed here a few years, and then they moved to Arlington, Washington where they also farmed.  Two daughters were born to them.  Minnie passed away in 1966.  Albert married again in 1973.  
  3. ALVIN married Ruth Knutson and they have seven children.  They farm close to Hannaford.  
  4. EILERT married Eleanor Johnson, he teaches in Devils Lake, and they have three children.  
  5. EMMA married Joe Harpestad and they have eight children.  They farmed in Alsen, North Dakota.  Joe passed away in January of 1960.  Emma lives in Devils Lake.  
  6. JENSINA married Hilmer Forsberg.  They have four daughters.  Hilmer passed away April 16, 1961.  He had been a farmer at Juanita.  Jensina now lives in Grace City and is head cook at the school there.  
  7. MATHILDA married Palmer Hayden.  They lived in McHenry for a while and then moved to McVille where he was a mechanic and later a Cop.  Eight children were born to them.  He is retired now.  
  8. CARINA married Casper Rice and they moved to Hibbing, Minnesota.  He worked in the Iron Mines until he passed away February 2, 1961.  They had four children.  
  9. NORA married Raymond Hagen.  They farmed north west of Cooperstown until he retired, because of poor health.  They had three children.  He passed away in March of 1962.  She married Ray Anton in 1965.  
  10. OLGA married Albert Hayden and they farmed for 15 years.  Then he sold his farm and went to work for a road construction company for a few years.  He was accidentally electrocuted in April of 1958.  They had seven children.  Olga lives in Detroit Lakes and works for Swift and Company.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976  Page 251