Hetland History

We are now in the fifth generation of the Hetland family to live in Griggs County.

Karl Hetland, born in Norway in 1844, came to the United States in the late eighties.  He first settled in Chicago where he worked until coming to Griggs County, Sverdup Township.  He made his home here until he passed away in 1924.  Karl married Ane Madland in Norway.  Six children were born to them: 

  1. Kristian
  2. Rasmus
  3. Alfred 
  4. Tanuel
  5. Gunhilde
  6. Dina

 

  1. Kristian, born in 1873, was the first of the children to come to the United States.  He Arrived in New York from Stavanger on November 12, 1889.  He sailed on the vessel Loconia.  He met his father in Chicago and they traveled to the Cooperstown area where they settled.  Krist became a United States citizen in 1907.  He passed away in 1949.
  2. Rasmus Hetland came from Stavanger to Boston in June 1902.  He died in Cooperstown in January 1953.  He never married.
  3. Alfred and his mother joined the family in March 1905.  They sailed on the vessel Eturia from Stavanger.  The mother died in 1919.  Alfred became a United States citizen in 1910.  He died at Cooperstown in January 1956.  
  4. Another brother, Tanuel, came from Stavanger later, but returned to Norway.  He later lost his life at sea.  
  5. Gunhild married Rasmus Hai and remained in Norway.  Nine children were born to them.
  6. Dina married Martin Nevland in Norway.  They and their children came to Greenfield Township to make their home.  The Nevland family consisted of eight boys and one girl.  They later moved to a farm near Juanita, North Dakota.

Rasmus, Kristian and Alfred settled on the Swingen-McCoy farm in Helena Township.  They farmed and raised pure-bred Percheron horses and German Shepard dogs.

Krist, an excellent blacksmith, did all the plowshare sharpening for the farm.  With his skillful hands he made many tools that they used on the farm.  He spent much time working at the Torkel Njaa farm southeast of Cooperstown.

Alfred married Lena Oakland, his childhood sweetheart, who came to North Dakota from Stavanger.  Three children were born to them, Signa, Charles and Ann.  Lena died during the flu epidemic in 1918, at the age of 33.  The family without a mother needed some help, so in 1923, Aunt Carrie Walen, Lena's sister, came to help.  She kept house and cared for the children though she also had children of her own.

Charles Hetland, Alfred's only son, was born December 13, 1915.  He and his father farmed together for many years, purchasing 3 more quarters of land in 1929, one quarter in Section 17, Helena Township, and two in Section 25.  Charles was married to Mildred Knutson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ole Knutson of Hannaford, on April 12, 1936.  The first year they were married, they never took the binder out of the yard.  What grain the gophers didn't eat was shriveled up by the drought.  Gopher poison was passed out to farmers and many a day was spent putting poison down gopher holes.

That first year of marriage has many memories for them, such as putting up Russian Thistle for hay.  A type of silo was dug in the ground and the thistle was put in it.  The cattle were fed this that winter.  The dirt storms were so dense that many times they had to light the kerosene lamp to see what they were doing during the noonday meal.

Charles got the job of driving the school bus and kept the family with food and the horses with oats.  Only good advice and common sense kept them from losing their lives in the March 17, storm of 1941.  They had the horses all hitched up to the covered sled ready to go visiting at a neighbor's house.  There was a coal stove warming up in the enclosed sled and they were ready to climb in and go when Charles remembered the advice his father always gave.  Alfred Hetland had always warned against leaving home when there was much loose snow on the ground.  At that time, there were several inches of loose snow all over.  Charles decided to put the horses back in the barn and while he was doing this, a terrible storm struck.  By following the grandfather's well-remembered advice, all were safe inside the house in a few minutes.

Charles and Mildred had three sons, Charles, Jr., David, and Allen.  Charles Jr. attended Wahpeton Science School, and the Greer Technical Institute in Illinois worked on construction work in Montana for some time and has also spent some time in Alaska.  He married Dianne Peterson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Peterson, who was a schoolteacher.  They built a new home in Helena Township where they now farm.  They have one daughter, Lynette.

David married Dorothe Jean Anderson, daughter of Donald Anderson of Dazey.  They have twin sons, Dick and David, also another son, Dale, and a daughter, Karoll Allen.

Alfred's two sisters moved away from the state, though Signa and her husband J. V.  Martinson farmed for a time in the Hannaford.  They had two daughters, Leona and Shirley.  Leona was married to Carl Knutson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Krist Knutson of Hannaford.  They have four children and live in Wisconsin.  Shirley married Dwight Alwin at Hannaford.  They have three children and also live in Wisconsin.

Ann Hetland married Carl Hobbie of St. Paul, Minnesota.  They have two children, Judy and Jim.

Charles, the only member of the family to remain in Griggs County, has been engaged in farming all his life.  He and his father and uncles had their threshing rig and he continued threshing until the coming of the combine.  During recent years he has been building up a business in excavating.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976  Page 314