"Rob" Pittenger was born in Chickasaw County near Alta Vista, Iowa on September 27, 1879. It was there he spent his boyhood. As a young man he worked at various logging camps in Minnesota in an area believed to be between Brainerd and Wadena. His sister, Lillian, living at Staples was married to a custom thresher who annually came to Griggs County for threshing. During the fall season of threshing, he and his older brother, Gene, would journey with bundle teams to Griggs County, particularly the Clearfield and Kingsley Township area. It was during this time that Rob met and married Miss Emma Rothert.
Emma Rothert was born May 2, 1891 the last-born child of Charles and Emilie Rothert in their first wood structure house. This was located just north east of Zion Lutheran Church in Section #8 of Clearfield Township. As a very little girl the family built a new farmstead house, still standing about 1/2 mile west of the church. From this home she attended school at the same location as the building still used as Township Hall on Highway # 1, 2 miles north of Highway # 200.
After Rob and Emma's marriage in 1907, they farmed. Their first farm home was on the east side of Section 6 in Clearfield Township. At this writing, the Terry Hall family still occupy the farmstead. It was here that Ellis J. , was born in 1908. About 1910 they moved to the NE quarter of Section 12, Clearfield Township on a farmstead where only a granary remains. It was here that Stanley L. was born in 1913. Opportunity arose to purchase land in Bald Hill Township and in 1919 the family moved to Section 28. The vacant house still stands were Robert D. Jr. was born in 1929. The depression and dry thirties forced moving again and in 1932 a new house was built on Section 14 in Kingsley Township. On this farm they remained until 1954 when Rob passed away at the age of 74.
Emma Pittenger a short time later moved a house to Cooperstown where she lived her remaining years. She passed away at age 83 on May 5, 1974.
The eldest son, Ellis, grew to manhood near Hannaford, lived in Cooperstown until 1941 and moved to Spokane, Washington where he is retired and still resides.
Stanley is now retired in Cooperstown after spending several years in Los Angeles.
Robert D. grew to manhood in Kingsley Township and operated the home farm for ten years after his father's death. In 1966 he moved to Portland, North Dakota, where he still resides.
Submitted By Robert D. Pittenger, Box 335, Portland, North Dakota 58274.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 331