Peter Davidson

Peter Davidson came to Barnes County alone from Slesvig, Denmark at the age of fourteen. He arrived in Valley City in 1886 to be with his brother, Andrew.

He learned the blacksmith trade from Christ Nelson and in 1891, at the age of nineteen, he opened his own business. It was destined to be one of the leading machine shops in the Northwest.

A very religious man, he was instrumental in the organization of the Scandinavian Methodist Church. He took a leading part in the community affairs, and was a member of the Gideons, Wild Life, Yeoman and Kiwanis Club.

On July 4, 1894, he married Inger Peterson Skretting from Norway, who was a waitress in the Rudolph Hotel. There were fourteen children born to Peter and Inger, and they took into their home the orphan children of Peter's sister, Christine, as well, making a family of nineteen in all.

  1. Palma, the oldest, died in 1918.

  2. Martha married Aage Thomassen, who died March 23, 1973.

  3. Harold married Helen Bale of Lisbon. He died in 1949, leaving his wife and three children.

  4. Isabel,

  5. Florence and

  6. Godfred are deceased.

  7. Esther married Allen Jesperson and later Walter Bergstrand.

  8. Victor became a school administrator and married Helen Hanson. He later married Pauline H. Heckman.

  9. Ruby (Mrs. Haakon Lund) lives at Hillsboro, North Dakota.

  10. Mildred is a singing evangelist and pastor, and is married to LeRoy McCurdy.

  11. Frances (Mrs. Eugene Bekkevold) lives in Seattle, Washington.

  12. Jeanette married Rev. Sherman Tidball and they have four children.

  13. Marion, a teacher, died May 15, 1944.

  14. Peter married Thelma Pederson and they live in Kentucky.

Peter, Sr. died January 12, 1939. Inger passed away May 23, 1957, a saintly mother, beloved by all.

Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 55