Grandfather Colvin - William Henry Harrison Colvin - was born in Connecticut, but was reared in western New York. Thus beginning his life long trek westward. "Go west, young man!" Like most of the other young men of his time he was a soldier in the War Between the States.
Without doubt Grandfather Colvin remembered the War Between the States vividly all his life, but he talked about the camp life. "Tenting Tonight on the Old Camp Ground" was one of the songs he sang. At evening the men built campfires to cook their suppers and one could see the twinkling fires for a mile. Often the Rebel army was also cooking supper not far away. One young man would start singing and then more and more joined. Sometimes the "Rebs" would sing along.
When the army was mustered out, the men were released to get home in any way they could. He went to Dundee, Illinois, where he had relatives, earning his living by farming a little, sawing wood, and as a hired man for the neighbors. The depression following the War was terrible. Wages for a hired man were 500 per month.
However, he and Armenia Aurelia Perry were married. Their son WILLIAM ELMER COLVIN was born in 1870 in Dundee. Six years later the family moved to Iowa where Will grew up.
Will grew up and became a mathematics professor in a junior college. In Grand Island, Nebraska, he courted the high school language teacher - Ada Flavia Abbott. Ada was born in Kansas, the daughter of Edward and Sadie Schooley Abbott. Will and Ada were married in Denver in 1904. They set up housekeeping in Arthur, Iowa while Will worked in his father's hardware store.
The next year Will set out to scout out new country on his bicycle. He bought the NE quarter of Section 7-146-60 in Clearfield Township and his father bought the West ½ of Section 7-146-60. Grandfather Colvin did not like North Dakota so he left 3 years later to raise apples in Yakima, Washington.
Will and Ada stayed in North Dakota and farmed for many years. They lost their first baby in 1906. A few months later a buggy with 2 women and a baby drove into the yard. The mother of the baby offered the baby to the Colvins to "replace" the baby they had lost. After a little discussion, the deal was made. The mother saw her baby once more. He was legally adopted about two years later. Three daughters added to the family:
Priscilla Colvin Evers, Jacinth Colvin Zipf, and Dorothea Colvin Meeker.
There were no buildings on the farm when it was bought. Will hastily built a barn with a corner partitioned off for family living quarters. There baby Edwin, Priscilla, and Jacinth were born and lived until they moved into the partially built house.
Mrs. Colvin had been a thin frail child with luxuriant curly hair. Her father knew that her strength was growing hair instead of more acute vision. He cut off all her hair in an effort to improve her eyes.
The children and their parents were very short of money. Because the Colvins valued education, the children were free to leave home and earn their own way through high school and college. Priscilla was given $5.00 when she started high school at 14 and was never given any more.
Mrs. Colvin died in 1941 at 68. Mr. Colvin was lonely and did not know what to do. But he reorganized his life to include genealogy, letter writing, and politics. He died July 1, 1970, a 100 years after his birth.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 page 256