Carl ''Charlie" Kjelgaard came to North Dakota from Denmark in 1909. When his family, Mr. and Mrs. Mogens Kjelgaard, Gregers, Peter, Harold, Marius, and Margaret, came to America in 1910, they began farming in Ball Hill Township. They bought the farm in 1915.
Charlie and Betsy Ronnie of Wisconsin were married in 1915. Two years later, all of the Kjelgaards except Harold and Charlie moved to New York. The two brothers farmed together until Harold was married in 1927.
Four children were born to Betsy and Charlie:
They attended school in and near Hannaford. They also attended various colleges in the state.
Horses were a very important part of the Kjelgaard farm. Charlie, who had served in the Danish cavalry, had a special love for horses and a special knack for handling them. There were usually about 24 of them, including a saddle horse or two. Charlie trained his best pony to jump hurdles and rode him in races at the county fairs. In the thirties, he bought unbroken broncos in the West, broke them, and took many of them east by freight train where he sold them for a good profit. There were many exciting and hazardous experiences in breaking these broncos, and many runaways. Though Charlie was usually lucky, he had many close calls, such as being kicked and trampled by a wild horse in a stall. In 1948 he was thrown into a rock pile while riding, and he suffered from a fractured pelvis.
Harold Kjelgaard had outstanding mechanical ability and kept the early automobiles and machinery in good working order. He remodeled a touring car into a sedan for the comfort and delight of the family. His gentle good humor, patience, and kindness was appreciated by all who knew him.
In 1927 Harold and Minnie Olson of Wisconsin were married and moved to their own farm near Revere. They had one son, Myron (Mike). Minnie passed away in 1936. Harold worked for the Bank of North Dakota as a carpenter fixing storm-damaged barns. He married Myrtle Knutson in 1939. They had two sons:
Richard and Harold Jr. (Butch). They lived in Cooperstown where Harold installed furnaces for several years. When the Griggs County Hospital opened, he was janitor there and worked at the hospital until his death in 1958. He is survived by his wife, Myrtle, Minneapolis, Minnesota, and his sons:
Myron, McHenry, North Dakota (three children)
Richard, Minneapolis (one child)
and Harold Jr., Fargo, North Dakota (one child).
In the forties, Charlie was able to devote more time to his great interest in politics and Farmers' Union activities. In 1946 he was elected sheriff of Griggs County, serving in 1947 and 1948. In 1949 he was elected to serve as state legislator in Bismarck where he served for one term.
He passed away on June 11, 1950, and is survived by his wife, Betsy, Spring Valley, California and
Mrs. Warren Lundeen, Hannaford, North Dakota (two children)
Mrs. William Sloan, El Cajon, California (four children)
Mrs. Ralph Landers, Spring Valley, California (two children)
and his son Orland, Portland, Oregon (two children).
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 200