Waldemar Klubben was born near Bergen, Norway. His parents were Elling and Seneve Klubben on February 26, 1847. He was married to Maria Pernilla Johansen on June 9, 1878 in Stavanger, Norway.
In the spring of 1881 Mr. and Mrs. Klubben, with about twenty neighbors, decided to leave for the United States. Some of the neighbors in the group were:
Ola Westley
Sven Loge
Sven Lunde
Knut Haaland
Ola Stokka
Andreas Vatne
Sven Lima
Carl Herigstad
Lars Herigstad and
Tobias Thime.
The men began their journey on April 10, 1881 from England in a ship called Palmyra. They experienced a broken propeller, which delayed their arrival in America. So the women, delayed by whooping cough, arrived soon after the men did.
They came to Sverdrup Township in June 1881. Mr. Klubben chose land in Section 26, on the prairie. Their first house was a sod house built on the quarter line between Klubben's and Sven Loge's land. Each family had one room. The Klubben's lived in this sod house for three years. They then built a log house.
The first year Klubben was able to break up only five acres of land since they came so late in the season. He had only one ox, the other one having died in the railroad car near Fargo. The neighbors let him use one of theirs. Christian Lee had a reaper and he cut all the grain in the area. R. C. Cooper threshed the grain for the settlers. The early settlers went to Valley City for provisions. The trip took three days and several men would go together.
The Indians seldom bothered, but the pioneers were quite fearful of them. This was especially true of the women and children who were left at home each fall as the men left home to earn extra money in the harvest fields.
A large frame house was built on the Klubben farm in 1912. This house is still standing and is sheltered on the north and west by a grove of trees, which was planted by Waldemar Klubben. In 1918 a barn was built on the farmstead, also.
Maria Klubben died on April 26, 1919 and Waldemar Klubben passed away on May 27, 1929. Both are buried in the Saron Church Cemetery.
There were nine children in the Waldemar Klubben family:
1. Elisa Sophia Klubben (Askelson) 1879-1944
Susanna Klubben (Loge) 1881-1965
Karen Klubben 1882-1897
Enga Klubben 1884-1905
Regina Klubben (Haaland) 1887-1959
Margreta Klubben 1889-1896
Berta Klubben 1891-1963
Edward Klubben 1893-1974
Albert Johannes Klubben 1895-1972.
All the children are buried in the Saron Church cemetery, with the exception of Karen, Enga, and Margreta, who are buried in the Zion (Westley) Church cemetery.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 432