My father, Charles Cederson, was born January 21, 1859, in Smaaland, Sweden and came to America in 1880. My mother, Helena (Langaard) Cederson, was born on March 6, 1868, and she came to America from Lillehamar, Norway.
After their marriage, they settled in Hannaford, built a little house where their son, Nick, was born in 1892.
Later when Charlie became section foreman for the Northern Pacific Railway, they moved into the newly built section house located a mile and one-half north of Hannaford. It was a beautiful setting surrounded by hills with the Bald Hill Creek running through.
The railroad track, Northern Pacific, ran close by the house and there was an overhead water tank that supplied the water for the steam locomotives.
The favorite trains in those days were the circus trains that ran by on their way to Cooperstown. The Cedersons would waken their children in the early morning to watch those trains pass by, also for them to dress, eat breakfast and board the passenger when it had to stop for the engine to fill with water. They were then on their way. On their way back, the train didn't stop, so they would ride into town and walk home. What a big day it was, and lots of popcorn, too! .
The highway, a dirt road, also ran close to their home. There was not too much traffic on the road in those days. They remember one time an incident their father told about an early spring some Indians came by in their covered wagons drawn by horses. The Indians camped overnight close to their home. During the night a snow storm came up. Their father got up and dressed to go over to their camp to ask them to pack as many horses as they could into their barn which was not very large, since they had only one cow, chickens and hay for feed. They packed as many as possible but two or so froze to death. The Indians were asked to come into the house to get warm. They had a large dining room with a huge heating stove where the Indians cuddled around. Mother cooked coffee and they were fed breakfast. By morning the storm let up and the Indians were on their way again in their covered wagon.
The following spring, these same Indians came back again, remembering how nice they had been treated and still thanked for the previous kindness. This time, they had Shetland ponies along. They held the children on and gave them rides on the ponies.
Later on in years, trails of gypsies would come by. They were afraid of them as they were told they were great to steal, especially small children and babies. So, whenever we'd see them come, we'd hurriedly hide our younger sister in the barn behind some hay until the gypsies were on their way again.
The children went to school in Hannaford. Their dad would take them to town on his pump car, some called them hand cars, as they had to be pumped by hand. Otherwise they would walk. Many a time the lunch in their lunch pails froze until we arrived at school and had to be put on the radiators to thaw out, but the lunch still tasted good to them.
Once or twice a week, their father would start out real early in the morning to Dazey to check the track on his section so no breaks were found which could cause a wreck for the coming trains. He would have to get to Dazey in order to ride back to Hannaford on the coming passenger train. Those were rough days too, but even though he was well dressed for the winter, he would come home with frozen ears and nose.
When the children were small, it took so little to have fun and be happy. Their dad and brothers made their skis and sleds as there were lots of hills to ski and slide on.
Mother, Jennie was always ready to go with her children when they went fishing. She would pack a lunch and they would make a picnic out of it, too. They recalled once their youngest brother, Ingvard, caught a 36-inch pickerel in the Bald Hill Creek. It was too large to carry, so their mother took her apron off in order that they could carry it home. When their father came home from work and saw this huge fish, he gave Ingvard a whole quarter which made him feel really rich ...a whole quarter!
One time their father came home leading a donkey by a rope. He had won the donkey in a raffle. At first they were half scared of it but the donkey was tame, yet stubborn, too. They would ride it and the boys made a harness and got a bridle, and also made a large sleigh for it and they would go for rides, setting their youngest sister, Eleanor, in the center of the sleigh. When they got to the first curve by the hill, the donkey stubbornly swung around so fast to go back home, throwing them all off, except Eleanor who had been sitting in the middle. She was the only one to get the ride home, leaving the rest of them sitting by the curve where they turned.
After Lillian finished school, she worked in the post office with Chris Reite, the postmaster. She felt very sorry for their mail carriers, Johnny Haugen and Lauris McCallson, especially in the winter time. They drove in sleighs which were partly enclosed to help them keep warm. They also had heated bricks to help keep their feet warm. Many a time, when she saw them drive in after their days work, she would hurry out to help them carry their mail sacks in. Their faces were white with frost and cold.
When Mr. Reite resigned to become president of the First National Bank, Billie Sinclair became postmaster and his wife, Jennie, took Lillian's job. Lillian then worked as operator in the telephone office.
When Eleanor finished school, she taught school around Elgin, North Dakota, and also in the Helena Township School.
Charles and Helena had six children: four sons, Nick, Gust, Ingvard and Albert, all of whom are deceased; and two daughters, Eleanor Campbell who resides in Stevens Point, Wisconsin; and Lillian Hanson in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Helena died in 1906. In 1908, Charles then married Jennie Johnson. They had two daughters: Mabelle McCallson in Hannaford, and Alice Lee in West Fargo.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 102