Johnny, the next to the youngest son of Johannes and Anna Haugen, came with his parents from Norway when he was about eight years old. Johnny's wife, Anna (nee Brun), at the age of 16, came to the United States from Bergen, Norway with a girlfriend named Milla. Four of her brothers migrated to the United States, living in various parts of this country. The couple was married January 1906.
Johnny and Anna had nine children, namely: Carl (known as Curly Carl), 1906-1945; Arthur, 1908-1970; Alyce (Mrs. Oliver Haugen), 1909-1977; Clifford, 1912-1941; Leonard (known as Curly), 1914-1983; Borghild (Mrs. Gordon Lundquist and known as Borgie), 1917; Raymond, 1922-1938; Lila (Mrs. Myron Schroeder), 1925; and Eugene (known as Bumpsy and as an adult is called Gene), 1927.
Anna was a marvelous cook. Her homemade bread and buns would melt in your mouth. Scandinavian goodies of all kinds was an easy task to make for this mother. The coffee pot was always on and the welcome mat was always out.
The family was raised in a tiny four-room house located to the southwest part of Hannaford and north of the Great Northern Railroad tracks. In later years, when most of the family was raised, Johnny and Anna moved to a much larger home, located one block north of the Mercantile Store.
Johnny was a rural mail carrier for 41 years, replacing W. D. Sinclair in 1906, and retiring in 1946. Delivery of mail was done on horseback, with buggy, sled and a heated cutter until purchasing his first car. In the winter months, when the roads were impassable, an enclosed horse-drawn snow sled was used. This required the 59 mile route to be serviced by having Johnny taking one-half of the route. The second enclosed snow sled, with its team of horses, was done by Clifford. There was a time some winters the snow was so deep that the snow sled was drawn over the low rural telephone line. Stormy or not, the mailman went on his route. He gave good service in spite of bad weather and many hardships. Many times during stormy weather the family waited solicitously for him to return home from the route. When lost in a snow storm his team found the way to a farm house.
When the spring weather came, causing the roads to be muddy and impassable, a two-wheeled open cart drawn by a team of horses was used.
The horses were lodged in the livery barn. Their son, Eugene, had the job of feeding, watering and caring for them when he became old enough to do this. His dog, Skippy, tagged along on this daily trip to the livery barn.
Sadness came to the family on March 12, 1938, when Raymond died at the age of 15, from spinal meningitis. He was a well-liked lad by all who knew him.
The family was again grieved January 2, 1941, when Clifford at the age of 28, froze to death. He had taken a passenger train to Luverne and then walked along the railroad tracks headed for the Henning Anderson farm to get a refresher team of horses for the mail route. He never made it to the farm and his body was found along the side of the railroad tracks by a train crew the following morning.
After retirement in 1946, the couple moved to Willmar, Minnesota, where they spent the remainder of their lives. Johnny was killed in an automobile accident on November 11, 1952. Anna died September 7, 1956, from a heart attack.
All three living children, Borghild, Lila and Eugene live at Willmar, Minnesota. Borghild and her husband, Gordon, are retired and spend the winter months in Arizona. Lila and husband, Myron, have not retired to date, nor has Eugene. Arthur's widow, Ellen (nee Lund) lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. Leonard's widow, Ina (nee Erickson) lives at Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, and spends her winters in Arizona since retirement in 1983.
To the Johnny Haugen family there are 11 grandchildren, 26 great-grandchildren and eight great great-grandchildren.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 144