The Freer Family

Jonas Melville Freer, pioneer of Cass County, and Griggs County homesteader was born at Sharon, Michigan on October 19, 1855, the second son of Elisha and Amanda LaFarge Freer.  He died at Hannaford, North Dakota on May 22, 1930 and is buried at Cooperstown, North Dakota

The immigrant ancestor of the Freer family was Hugo the Patentee.  He was one of the twelve French Huguenots who purchased the land, where New Paltz, New York is now situated, from the Indians on May 26, 1677.  For this land they paid 40 kettles (10 large and 30 small), 40 axes, 40 adzes, 40 shirts, 400 fathoms of white net work, 300 fathoms of black net work, 60 pairs of stockings, (half small size) 100 bars lead, 1 keg powder, 100 knives, 4 kegs of wine, 40 oars, 40 pieces of duffel (heavy wool), 60 blankets, 100 needles, 100 awls, 1 measure of tobacco and 2 horses.  The stone home of Hugo Freer, erected about 1710, has been restored and is always open to the public.  It is the oldest home on Huguenot Street and a thirteen star Betsy Ross flag is flown above it every day.

Jonas Freer married Ella Pratt Cooke at Sharon, Michigan on November 14, 1877.  She was born there on June 21, 1858 and died at Cooperstown, North Dakota on June 21, 1911, and is buried in the Cooperstown cemetery.  She was the daughter of George Cooke, who was a veteran of the Civil War, and his wife Dolly Jane Townsend.  Her immigrant ancestor, Aaron Cooke, came to America with his mother and step-father at the age of 16.  The family left Portsmouth, England in 1629/1630 and sailed on the Mary & John which came with the Winthrop fleet.  The Cooke family first settled at Dorchester, Connecticut, but moved to Windsor, Connecticut in 1636.

Grandfather Freer came to Dakota Territory on March 17, 1880 and resided for a time in the Casselton - Amenia vicinity.  I have a letter dated at Amenia on April 1, 1880, which he wrote to my grandmother who was still in Michigan, and one that they both wrote from Casselton on January 15, 1881.  In the 1881 letter he told of a feed store in Casselton where they bought oats for 30 cents and sold it for 60 cents.

In 1882/83 grandfather met up with R. C. Cooper and moved his family to the vicinity of Cooperstown, about where the Conference Grounds are now located.  It wasn't long before he filed on a homestead on the NE quarter of Section 8-144-58 in Broadview Township.  This was home for the Freer family until about 1928 when they moved in to Hannaford.  On March 22, 1886 he bought the NW quarter of Section 18-145-58 from Edward O. Stai and on November 25, 1889 he purchased the NE quarter and NW quarter of Section 16 - 145 - 58 from John Pates.

Jonas and Ella Freer were the parents of six children.

  1. Norma Amelia was born October 10, 1879 at Sharon, Michigan, married November 10, 1898 at Cooperstown to Frank E. Dier.  He died at Sequim, Wisconsin on 6 April 1959.  Their children: 
    1. Raymond
    2. Ella
    3. Irene
  2. Ina May was born at Casselton, Dakota Territory on October 26, 1881.  She died in January 1931 at Eugene, Oregon.  She was married first to Otto Fenner and second to Alfred Anderson.  Children: 
    1. Marjorie Fenner
    2. Mae Tina Anderson
    3. Richard LeRoy Anderson.
  3. Parke Melville Freer was born October 1, 1883 at Hannaford, died September 8, 1969 and buried at Cooperstown.  Married December 24, 1905 at Granville, Missouri to Goldie Kimmel Key who was born in Missouri on February 9, 1887 and died at Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 14, 1965.  Their children: 
    1. Claude M. married Myrtle Bakken (resides Walum, North Dakota)
    2. Jewell Mae, married David Normandin
    3. Rhoda E. married Ralph Newman
    4. Bertrand Russell
    5. Patricia Marilyn who married Clifford Ernst
  4. George Elisha born 6 August 1885 at Hannaford, married 19 February 1909 to Edith Elizabeth Key who was born in Missouri on 2 February 1885.  This couple has celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary and reside in a home at Manson, Wisconsin.  Their children: 
    1. Willard E. 
    2. Merle
    3. Ella Ethel
    4. Harold LeRoy
    5. Frank Ellsworth
    6. Percy Melvin
    7. Phyllis Evelyn
  5. Ella Adelia was born 17 November 1889 in Broadview Township, Griggs Company, married Ole Henry Stai on 25 June 1912.  He was born at Cooperstown on 18 April 1890 and died at Eugene, Oregon 13 October 1946.
  6. Rollin Ellsworth was born 26 June 1899 at Hannaford and died 17 July 1964.  He married Leila Stewart on 19 October 1921.  Their children:  Gwendolyn Joanne and Melville Stewart.

Jonas Melville Freer married for the second time to Anna Nordstrum and to this union a daughter Vivian Jeanette Margaret was born at Eugene, Oregon on 10 December 1917.  Vivian is married to Charles Dwight Whittemore.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976  page 237