Kenneth Coghlan came to Valley City in September of 1938 to establish a new home and to go into the hardware business.

Born May 20, 1913 at the family home in St. John, North Dakota, Kenneth attended the local schools and eventually was employed by a Minneapolis based hardware firm as a traveling representative.

Tiring of being on the road, Kenneth moved to Valley City, where a brother, Gene, had preceded him.

Shortly after moving to Valley City, Kenneth met Elenora Schmidt, who handled the Coghlan advertising in the local newspaper. Elenora was born May 6, 1918 at Zap, North Dakota, to Fred and Margaret Schmidt. Kenneth and Elenora were married January 10, 1939. Subsequently, the parents of Kenneth and Elenora both moved to Valley City to spend their remaining years.

Kenneth's grandfather, Maurice Coghlan, an enterprising Irishman, homesteaded in Rollette County in 1883. Here he acquired an 800 acre spread and to suit the size of the farm, then very extensive, he had "Coghlan's Castle", built in 1904. A huge native stone two-story castle-like building, it had five bedrooms, hot water, heat and indoor plumbing. It, although not in use presently, remains unique for its period in North Dakota's history.

To the union of Kenneth and Elenora Coghlan were born ten (10) children:

Linda, married to Tom Day; Carol, married to Don Kropp; Kathleen, married to Richard Eggert; William, married to Kathy McShane; Kenneth, Jr. deceased; Charles, with Morton Building; Ellen, married to Vance Kemmer; John, single -attending U.N.D.; Maurene, freshman at Valley City State; Joseph, attending Valley City High School.

The Coghlans, a closely-knit family, have been prominent citizens of Barnes County for the past nearly forty (40) years, entering into Community affairs as well as church affairs and always striving for the betterment of the Community.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 48