Johan (John) Tande, who came to America from Broskerud, Norway in 1878, bought the E of Section 12 in Pilot Mound Township on July 13, 1882 for $1.25 per acre and made full payment on October 4, 1884.
Johan and his son, Sigvart, lived there on the bank of the Sheyenne River.
S1gvart married Inga Mathea (Mathilda) Halvorson January 8, 1895 at Grand Meadow, Minnesota, and they purchased this 160 acres for $585.54 in March of 1895.
Johan had previously homesteaded 160 acres in Section 24-148-60 in Willow Township and lived there with his second wife until his death May 13, 1891.
Sigvart and Mathilda raised five children on this farmstead. They are: Albin (deceased), Cora, Melvin, Hjalmer and Freda. Two children died in infancy.
Albin first attended a school, which was one-half mile east of the farm on land purchased by Sigvart from the Trostad Estate (E of SW of Section 7). The school was moved away and school was held at the Tom Olson home west of the river. Mathilda boarded the schoolteacher for many years for $3 to $4 a month.
Sigvart's brother, Ole, homesteaded the SE of NW of Section 7, and that land was later purchased by Sigvart. He also bought the NE of Section 7 from Gundar Nave and the NE of Section 18.
Sigvart died suddenly from a heart attack October 2, 1916. Mathilda continued to live on the farm until her death January 13, 1932. Her three sons continued to farm and later bought the NE of NW of Section 18, and N of NW of Section 17. They continued farming until 1946 at which time Hjalmer purchased land in Clay County, Minnesota, and moved there to live.
Albin and Melvin continued to live on the home place, Albin spending winters in California and Arizona, until his death in 1980. Melvin purchased Albin's share of the farm in 1957.
Melvin and his wife, Adeline, had eight children: Kary, Marlin, Judith, Gwendolyn, Craig, Steven, Landis and Lori.
They lived on the farm until 1981 when they moved into Aneta, but their sons Steven and Landis have farmed the land since 1970. Landis and his wife, Marl, are presently living on the farm.
Three dams have been built on this property in later years. The Carlson-Tande dam was built by the Soil Conservation Service and is on the north side of the NE in Section 7. This is used for public recreation. A smaller private dam was built on the south side of this quarter for stock watering. Another dam for stock watering was built on the NE of Section 18 many years ago, but washed out three years ago and was replaced with a watering hole.
Source: Cooperstown, North Dakota 1882-1982 Centennial page 95