Tollef Tvedte was born March 25, 1859 and his wife Dorthea Eidsvag was born Sept 25, 1859 both in Valestrand, Norway, and they married on Aug 15, 1880. To this union were born 10 children, all of whom they lived to see married and in*homes of their own. The first two children,
were born in Norway prior to the parents emigrating to America in 1884. After a short period of living in Stoughton, Wisconsin for 3 months they moved to Belgrade, Minnesota where they lived for three years. Two sons,
were born while living at Belgrade, Minnesota.
Hearing of the Homestead opportunities in North Dakota they decided to try it there. It is presumed that Mr. Tvedte landed in Griggs County the later part of April 1887. On account of a snowstorm and lack of accommodations there at the time of arrival, he was forced to spend his first night in the county jail at Cooperstown. The following day he located his brother-in-law Erick Watne and though there was not a full quarter of vacant land adjoining the homestead of Erick it was on May 3, 1387 he filed on the NE quarter of Section 14 Twp 147, Range 60 West of the 5th Prime Meridian in Addie Township.
He, his wife, and four small sons moved into this dugout, which had first been built by Erick Watne. Watne sold his homestead and bought the place east of the Tweed farm, and Tollef Tvedte bought Watnes first homestead. They remained there until such time as Mr. Tvedte could get his shack built on his homestead on the next quarter to the east. Today a few trees remain where this shack was built. Mr. Tvedte later building the fine farm home where a grandson, Orville now lives.
Six more children were born to the Tvedtes:
When the Tweed Girls, Dinah and Bertha were teenagers they remembered how the Indians would camp in the pasture and they would go down and visit them in their tents. The Indians would give them beans or pieces of bread. The Indians spoke some English and used signs by hands to indicate what they meant.
It was during school days that one of the teachers, who couldn't get the "Tvedte" to sound like the children pronounced it, changed the spelling to "TWEED" and the children afterward spelled their names Tweed, but the parents used the original spelling especially on legal documents.
When the elder Tvedtes moved into Binford to make their home, a son Oscar continued to farm the homestead farm. Mr. and Mrs. Tvedte celebrated their golden wedding at the farm on August 12, 1930 and also lived to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on July 7, 1940 at the Binford Free Church. Mr. Tvedte passed away AT the age of 81 years in 1940 and Mrs. Tvedte at the age of 82 years in 1942.
Oscar and his brother Alfred had a steam-threshing rig and threshed for the area farmers, and several years later he purchased an Advance Rumley to use on the rig. In one of those threshing experiences he had hired several Indians to help haul bundles, and one day a spark from the Runley set fire to the straw stack. The Indians saved the day by stamping out the fire with their feet very quickly and became the heroes of the day. There were a lot of horses on the Tweed farm and at one time there were 22 head tied in the barn.
On October 12, 1924 Oscar Tweed married Helga Johnson at Belgrade, Minnesota and they continued to make their home on the Tweed farm. They were active in Bethany Free Church and community affairs. Oscar served on the Addie Township Board for many years, and on the ASC board and from 1952 to 1959 served as director and treasurer on the Sheyenne Valley REA board.
They celebrated their Silver Wedding on the farm on Oct 12, 1948. Mr. Tweed passed away on July 10, 1959 and Helga made her home in Cooperstown until her death in Nov 29, 1970.
Their two children are
Grandchildren are David Sola and Janine Sola and Kevin Tweed, Karen Tweed and Kraig Tweed.
Orville Tweed and son Kevin tweed are the third and fourth generations to farm the original Tvedte-Tweed homestead. They have a diversified farm and raise a large herd of Hereford cattle.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 189