Arne Sekin Nevland was born in Gjesdal, Norway June 21, 1882, to Lars and Ingebjorg Nevland. He had two brothers, Hans and Torkel, and one sister, Ane. Their mother passed away when Arne was two years old. His father remarried. His second wife was Marta Haye. To this union five children were born. She died in 1920.
After the death of his mother, Arne spent most of his childhood with relatives who later came to America to make their homes. He said farewell to his father and families and at the age of 17, joined others who settled here. He got a job working for Sam Langford who lived on a farm near Cooperstown. He couldn't speak a word of English or understand the language. He became discouraged and homesick for his native land many a time, but as time went on, more friends and acquaintances began arriving. Arne's brother, Torkel Nevland also came to the U. S. A., and remained until his death. Two half-brothers spent some time here, but returned to Norway. Arne and a few of his friends started working for the Northern Pacific Railroad. Charlie Cederson was section foreman at the time. They were neighbors and friends in the country and in town until his death.
Arne decided to go into farming and farmed the O. M. Westley farm east of Hannaford, also known as the Melvin Haugen farm, which is located in Greenfield Township.
February 6, 1909, Arne Sekin Nevland married Tina Marie Samuelson of Sandnes, Norway. She arrived at Rochelle, Illinois, where she worked for some time, then came to Cooperstown where she worked for the Greenlands. It was at that time Arne met his future wife. They were married in Union Church, rural Hannaford.
Mrs. Nevland's mother, Mrs. Gretta Samuelson, one brother, William Samuelson and a sister, Karina (Mrs. Ingval Arneson) came later to reside in Griggs County. Another sister, Mrs. Rachel Brown remained in Chicago. Another brother, Ingval was a sea captain. Mrs. Samuelson passed away and she is buried in the Hannaford (Faith) Lutheran Cemetery. Karina passed away June 17, 1971.
Six children were born to Arne Sekin and Tina Marie (Samuelson) Nevland. Two daughters, Ingebjorg (Emily) and Signe were born on their home farm in Greenfield Township. Later years, the family moved to a farm north of Hannaford, which was the S. Almklov farm in Bald Hill Township. Four sons, Lars, Gust, Norman and Magnus (Tom) were born on that farm.
Arne was a rugged pioneer. He worked hard all of his life. As an added income, he started raising purebred German Police Dogs that were sent overseas for military purposes.
During World War I, Mrs. Nevland knitted countless numbers of sweaters and socks for the servicemen.
Arne was told he had a gold mine when he lived north of Hannaford. He sold hundreds of loads of sand and gravel. He also dug a large number of graves by hand at Union, St. Olaf and Hannaford cemeteries.
Ingebjorg (Emily) Nevland, their first child, was born November 9, 1909, on the Westley farm in Greenfield Township. She attended school in Hannaford. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. She worked in the Grace City and Juanita communities for the John Munson and Gunder Ellingson families, and also for a family near Valley City. Emily Nevland and Daniel M. Larson were married in 1938, at the Lutheran Parsonage in Hannaford. They lived on a farm west of Hannaford (now known as the Lester Steiner farm) in Greenfield Township, where they farmed. Dan also managed a meat market in Hannaford. Later they moved into town in Hannaford where they continued to make their home. They were the parents of two daughters, Bonnie Rae and Donna Marie. Dan had two sons, Robert and William, by a previous marriage. William died as a child. Dan worked for the Hannaford Farmers Elevator for a number of years. Emily's mother, Tina Marie Nevland, suffered a stroke and became bedridden. Her father and mother moved in with Dan and Emily so Emily could care for her mother. Mrs. Nevland passed away May 13, 1954. Arne continued to live with them until he entered the Griggs County Nursing Home in Cooperstown. Arne passed away October 16, 1974. Both Arne and Tina Marie Nevland are buried in the Hannaford (Faith) Lutheran cemetery. Shortly before Emily's mother passed away she began writing the Hannaford News as a correspondent for the Griggs County Sentinel Courier in Cooperstown. She wrote the Hannaford column for 20 years. Her column also appeared in the Valley City Times Record for a number of years. After many years of working at the elevator in Hannaford, Dan began working at the Hannaford Locker Plant as a meat cutter. He worked in that capacity at Cooperstown and Valley City until his retirement. Emily had a stroke in 1974. That same year, both Dan and Emily became residents of the Griggs County Nursing Home in Cooperstown. Dan passed away December 10, 1975. Emily started a weekly nursing home news column which also was published in the Griggs County Sentinel Courier. She wrote the column for nearly 15 years. She was a correspondent for the Griggs County Sentinel Courier for nearly 35 years. Her last column appeared in the Griggs County Sentinel Courier on February 22, 1989. Emily passed away on February 19, 1989. Both Dan and Emily are buried in Hannaford (Faith) Lutheran Cemetery near Hannaford.
Signe Nevland was born April 18, 1912, on the Westley farm in Greenfield Township. She attended school in Hannaford. She was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. She went to Miles City, Montana, where she worked in various restaurants. Signe Nevland married Albert L. Brown at Terry, Montana, November 21, 1940. They lived in Miles City for several years. He was employed by a construction company as superintendent for many years. His work took them to various places. They moved to Alaska where they lived for some time, and then returned to Miles City. Later they moved to Livingston, Montana, where he was employed in various towns until his retirement. They continue to make their home in Livingston, Montana.
Lars Nevland was born April 23, 1914, on the Almklov farm north of Hannaford in Bald Hill Township. He was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith. He graduated from Hannaford High School. He worked at the Hannaford Cream Station. Later he went out West to seek work. He was employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in Idaho. Lars passed away November 5, 1951. He is buried in the Hannaford (Faith) Lutheran Cemetery near Hannaford.
Gust Nevland was born April 12, 1917, on the Almklov farm north of Hannaford, in Bald Hill Township. He attended school in Hannaford. He farmed with his father, and his brother, Norman. Gust also worked for his brother-in-law, Dan Larson, when Dan farmed west of Hannaford (now known as the Lester Steiner farm) in Greenfield Township. He now resides in Wilton, North Dakota.
Norman Nevland was born February 9, 1920, on the Almklov farm north of Hannaford in Bald Hill Township. He attended school in Hannaford. Norman farmed with his father, and also his brother, Gust. Norman Nevland and June Worthington were married at the Lutheran Parsonage in Hannaford in 1943. There were six children: Norman, Gary, Craig, Lanny, Jeffrey and Laine. They lived in Hannaford for several years. Norman worked for the Great Northern Railroad on the B & B Department for several years. Norman and June divorced and Norman moved to Minot where he did carpentry work, and in later years he was a building engineer for the YMCA in Minot, North Dakota. He continued in that capacity until his death April 16, 1967. Norman is buried in Rosehill Cemetery at Minot, North Dakota.
Magnus (Tom) Nevland was born November 7, 1926, on the Almklov farm north of Hannaford in Bald Hill Township. He attended school in Hannaford. Tom served in the Army in the Philippines and Korea in the Army Medical Corps. After he was discharged from the Army he did construction work in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, California and Alaska. He returned to Miles City, Montana. Tom Nevland married Vee Etchemendy at Miles City, Montana, where they made their home. Tom began working for United Beverage in Miles City, and has been working there for the past 30 years. Tom's wife Vee, has passed away. He has a step-daughter, Kathy Jo Schneider of Miles City. She is also employed by United Beverage, where she has worked for a number of years. Kathy has a son, Brock Schneider, who attends Eastern Montana College at Billings, Montana.
Arne retired from farming in the mid forties and moved to Hannaford. After years of hard work he wasn't content to remain idle, so he started a dray line, hauling coal for one thing. Later he started gardening not only for himself, but for others. He took care of their trees and landscaped areas weed free. He took care of the park where he spent many hours digging and weeding. He also helped plant many trees, which can still be seen around Hannaford.
A special time in later years for Arne was when he got word from Norway that his half-brother, Martin Nevland, and his half-sister, Lisa (Nevland) Hegre and her husband, Tobias, were coming to visit with Arne and brother, Torkel in 1967. They arrived for their visit, but brother Torkel had passed away shortly before they arrived. Martin returned for another visit in 1974. Martin, Lisa and her husband have passed away and are buried in Norway.
Arne took pride in planting gardens. He planted gardens for many people over the years and cared for them. He was always proud of his gardening and did it until he entered the Griggs County Nursing Home in 1974. As previously stated, Arne passed away October 16, 1974, at the age of 92.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 207