Loren Syverson

Loren Syverson, a prosperous farmer and well-known early settlers of Foster county, resides in township 145, range 62, and has one of the best farms of that region.

Our subject was born on a farm in Crawford county, Wisconsin, July 18, 1860. His father, S. Syverson, was born in Norway, and came to America in 1840, when about twenty years of age, and was married in this country. He was a farmer throughout his career. The mother of our subject, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Posy, was born in Tennessee and was of American descent. Her father, William Posy, was a farmer in Tennessee and Illinois. The parents, of our subject were married in Jo Daviess county, Illinois, and settled in Wisconsin about 1850. They were the parents of ten children, six sons and four daughters, of whom our subject was the sixth in order of birth.

Mr. Syverson was raised on the farm in Wisconsin and followed the plow at ten years of age. He attended the country schools and remained at home until twenty-two years of age, and in the spring of 1882 he went to Jamestown. North Dakota. He located land in section 26, township 145, range 62 in Foster county, and built a sod shanty and hired two acres of land broke. In August he went with a surveying party through Foster, Wells and Griggs counties, and during a four months' trip did not meet a dozen people. They lived in tents and were out until December 11, and our subject spent the rest of the winter at home. He again went to Dakota in the spring of 1883 and bought two yoke of cattle, and had a wagon and a breaking plow, and his brother, William J., went into partnership with him in 1882 and they continued together until 1890, and his sister made her home with them after the first three months. His first crop from his own land was in 1884, and he used oxen until the spring of 1887, and paid three hundred and fifty dollars for the first team of horses. His residence was destroyed by a hurricane in the summer of 1890, but was vacant at the time. Mr. Syverson has engaged principally in grain raising, and has raised nine thousand six hundred bushels of grain in one season. He has a farm of six hundred and forty acres, with five hundred sixty acres under cultivation and the balance in pasture land. His residence is a commodious and substantial structure and is one of the best farm houses in the locality, and with barn, granary and other outbuildings forms a home of more than usual comforts. He has all machinery for the economical conduct of the farm, and has about twelve horses working in the busy season, and has as fine a farm as is to be found in the east end of Foster county.

Our subject was married, in February, 1891, to Miss Levina M. Bond, a native of Minnesota. Mrs. Syverson's father, Henry Bond, is a native of Virginia, of Dutch, Irish and Welch descent, and is an old settler in North Dakota. Her mother was born in Kentucky, and was of Dutch-Irish descent. Three children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Syverson, as follows: Leila, born February 13, 1892; Olive, born October 24, 1895, and Ethel, deceased. Mr. Syverson is a Republican in political faith, but takes little interest in affairs of this nature, devoting his entire attention to his farm work. He has passed through all the discouragements incident to pioneer life, and during the early days hauled supplies and grain many miles to market, and encountered severe storms, but he has made a success of his career, despite these drawbacks.

Source:  Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota 1900 Page 761