Peter Aalgaard (1881-1969) was born in Norway. His parents named him after his grandfather, Peder Salveson Ueland. Peter's mother's maiden name was Rakel Gurine Olsdotter Hareland. She died in 1889, at age 37. Peter's father, Lars Pederson, remarried in 1891, to Maria Bertine Simonsdotter Lomeland. His brother-in-law, Esaias Olson, gave Lars and Maria part of the Lomeland farm (hence the name Lomeland) near the village of Aalgaard. In 1903, Peter immigrated to the United States using Aalgaard for his last name. He worked his way on a boat carrying cattle and other freight. (Peter loved telling this story because the name of the ship was the "Mayflower.") If you asked him what ship he came over the ocean on, you know what the obvious answer would be.
When Peter finally settled on a farm owned by Haldor Stromme, north and west of Karnak, North Dakota, he met a wonderful young lady called Anna Stromme, Haldor's niece. Anna's parents, Einar and Guri Stromme, lived in a sod house east and south of Hannaford. Einar and Guri Stromme were natives of Norway. Einar was born on a farm near Bergan in 1846, and died in 1937. He immigrated to the United States at age 22.
The trip across the Atlantic required seven weeks to make the journey from Bergen to Quebec in a sail boat. In 1868, he settled in Red Wing, Minnesota, in Goodhue County. He married Guri Tyssen in 1874. Twelve children were born to this union, five of whom died in infancy. Guri Tyssen left Norway on a sail-ship named "Valkyrien" in April 1873. Guri was born in 1858, and died in 1922. According to her children, Guri was a very dedicated mother who endured the great hardships of the pioneer women on the prairie when every day survival was no easy task. Einar and Guri Stromme resided in Cass County, North Dakota, for three years before moving on to Griggs County, North Dakota, in 1881, to take up a homestead in Greenfield Township. January 1910, Peter and Anna were married. Eleven children were born to this union,
1. one dying at birth.
2. As of this writing: Rose, born 1910, died 1977. The other nine surviving offspring are:
3. Lief, born 1912;
4. Algot, 1913;
5. Margaret, 1916;
6. Leonard, 1918;
7. Rachel, 1921;
8. Stella, 1923;
9. Selmer, 1924;
10. Robert, 1928;
11. and Albert, 1933.
While serving in the United States Army (1941-1945), Leonard met Ruth Seaman at Hershey, Pennsylvania, in 1943. They were married in Baltimore, Maryland, July 24, 1943. Ruth's ancestor's roots go back to the 1400s in Switzerland, immigrating to this country in 1720, from Germany. Some ancestors were killed by Indians before settling on rich farmland at the foothills of the beautiful Blue Mountains in Dauphen County, Pennsylvania, which is Dutch country. Her grandparent's farm is now the Penn-National horse race tracks near Grantville, Pennsylvania. Leonard and Ruth Aalgaard have four children.
1. Beverly, born in 1946, married George Radabaugh. They have two girls: Tracy, born in 1971; and Carrie, born in 1977. They reside in McDermott, Ohio.
2. Richard, born in 1951, married Barbara Wolfgram in 1972. They have two boys: Tad, born in 1972; and Lucas, born in 1973; and one girl, Wendy, born in 1977. They live in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
3. Patricia, born in 1953, married Darrell Hanson. They have a girl, Tomi, born in 1976; and a boy, Patrick, born in 1979. They reside in Las Vegas, Nevada.
4. Louise Aalgaard Erickson, born in 1957, has a boy, Jack, born in 1978; and a girl, Jana, born in 1980. They reside in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 75