Leslie grew up west of Hannaford in Dover Township. He went to grade school and high school at Dover School getting to and from school by a horse drawn bus in the winter. Some of the favorite stories his daughters wanted retold were of these bus rides, his childhood pet, Billy the goat, and basketball stories from his high school days. Leslie went to Concordia College for one year and then went into a farming partnership with his dad in Dover.
On March 4, 1944, Leslie and Sylvia (Haugen) were married at Eidfjord Church by Rev. E. L. Lee. Sylvia had been teaching school at Finley, North Dakota. In the early years of their farming they experienced many difficulties. Farming was a diversified venture. Leslie and Sylvia raised beef cattle, milked cows, raised chickens, turkeys, ducks and pigs as well as grain crops to earn their living.
Wintertime transportation was a difficult undertaking. Before the roads were built up, the farm produce, eggs and cream, had to be taken by horse and sleigh to depots in Revere or Hannaford to be shipped to a Land of Lakes Creamery in Minnesota. The money received for eggs and cream was used to buy the necessary groceries and coal. Coal was hauled back on the sleigh in small amounts depending on how much cash was on hand.
In 1946, Leslie expanded the farm acres when he sought the Carl Berg farm. With the purchase of setter machinery and more land it became a much easier task to farm. The more prosperous years of she late '40s were in sharp contrast to the beginning years of struggle on the Peterson farm in the 1890s.
Being unable to find drinkable water on their farm, Leslie and Sylvia decided to build a home in Hannaford. They bought the Presbyterian Church lot and dismantled the church in 1975. They moved into their new home in the spring of 1976. Leslie continued to farm until he rented the farm to their son-in-law, Charles Hetland, Jr.
Leslie and Sylvia had three daughters. In 1945, Dianne was born. She attended Dover School and was part of the last eighth grade class to graduate from this country school. She went to Hannaford High School and Concordia College. She taught school in St. Paul, Minnesota; St. Louis Park, Minnesota; Cooperstown, North Dakota; and Hannaford, North Dakota. Dianne married Charles Hetland, Jr., on July 3, 1970. They, like some of their grandparents, began a new farm site in a hayfield.
Through the years they have known the satisfaction of building and owning their own farm on the North Dakota prairies just as their parents and grandparents had in their generations. They also rent land from their parents and others. In keeping with the newer trend of a two income family, Dianne held a part-time teaching position in Hannaford and now a full-time teaching position in Cooperstown. Charles and Dianne have two daughters, Lynette and Stephanie.
Karen Jean was born June 1, 1947, and attended Dover School through the sixth grade. She then went to Hannaford graduating from high school in 1965. She went to Dakota Business College and Josef's School of Hair Design in Fargo. She is a licensed hair dresser. She married Garrett Hoerer and has two children, Terrance Lynn and Vickie Lee. Vickie is married to Scott Moran. Karen lives in Hazen, North Dakota.
Ellen Marie was born July 18, 1951. She attended the first two grades at Dover. When Dover closed in 1959, she went to the Hannaford School. Later she went to NDSU for two years and finished her schooling at Interstate Business College graduating as a secretary and accountant. She married Larry Moe. They have two children, Brian and Paula. They live in Dickinson, North Dakota.
Source: Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 221