John J. Haugen and Kari Sabe were married in Stamnes, Norway on March 28, 1881 and emigrated to United States three weeks later. After working in Hendrum, Minnesota for two years they came to Griggs County and homesteaded in Greenfield Township on a farm six miles southeast of Hannaford in 1883 - first in a sod house and later built a house which is still on the farm but has been remodeled.
It took a lot of hard work to bring up a family of 13 children.
John walked from Cooperstown and carried a sack of flour on his shoulder, after work, to their home and the next morning walked back to the Cooper farm in time for work. This was one of the many tasks of a true pioneer. Their children were:
- One child died in infancy.
- Henry
- Bennie
- Anna
- Julius
- Julia
- Marie
- Emma
- Dora
- Magnus
- Carl
- Melvin
- Herman
-
One child died in infancy.
- HENRY married Bertha Harvey and their children were:
- Oliver,
- Clara,
- Selma,
- Hazel,
- Sigvard,
- Florence and
- Vivian.
- BENNIE married Oline Harvey. Their children were:
- Sophie,
- Oscar,
- Clarence,
- Bernice,
- Lillian,
- Mildred,
- Sylvia,
- Esther,
- Norman,
- Melford and
- Beverly.
- ANNA married Charles Bergren and had four boys:
- John,
- Thomas,
- Ernest and
- Robert.
- JULIUS married Emma Carlson and their children are:
- Maurice
- Evelyn
- Eldren
- Kermit
- June
- Gilmer
- Delores
- JULIA married Alfred Brudwick and had:
- Carl
- Ann
- Agnes
- Edith
- Berdella
- MARIE married Sigvard Fliflet and their children are:
- Carl
- Maynard
- Selma
- Julius
- Orville
- Marvin
- Joyce
- EMMA married Olaf Johnson and they had:
- Ernest
Olaf passed away, she then married Carl Johnson, and they had:
- Willard
- Arthur
- Esther
- Richard
- Roland
- DORA married Olaf Kalvik and they had:
- Inga
- Eugene
- Doris
- Orville
- MAGNUS married Malena Lee and their children are:
- Ingvard
- Maynard
- Inez
- Lorraine
- CARL married Elsie Hougland and they had:
- Ruth
- Elverne
- Merle
- Curtis
- Leland
- Ruth
- MELVIN married Andina Kalland and they had:
- Millard
- Dorothy
- Robert
- Carolyn
- HERMAN married Effie Hanson.
In 1931, Mr. and Mrs. John Haugen observed their 50th Wedding Anniversary with all twelve children present.
John passed away in 1934 and Kari in 1936.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 298