I am proud to recount the role that my father, WILLIAM SANDY, played in the settlement of this small, but very important part of North Dakota.
My parents were Canadians, born in Ontario, and the families were large. Young men sought opportunities early in life. The people who had come from Europe, settled in pan of Canada and the United States. Now the United States was offering great tracts to settlers to induce the opening up of this vast territory. Citizens could obtain a quarter Section of land after filing and living on it a short time - five years. Signs were seen all over the East "Go West Young Men."
The railroads were also generous in their offers for transportations. William was lured by all this and had visions that some day he would be a land-owner. He worked hard and saved his money and when he was 22 years old, in 1882, he boarded the train for Sanborn, North Dakota where a home family, the Alex Moffats had gone before. Mr. Moffat was a splendid carpenter and assured the young man he could have plenty of work. He found out that his first duty was to declare his intentions to become an "American Citizen" before he could file on any land. This he did at the Land Office in Fargo, and he was on his way to become a landowner. Somehow after much consideration, he filed on a piece of land in Griggs County.
Now the laws for landowners were rigid and to show his intentions were sincere, he built a small house and barn on his new land. He was obliged to live on the land a certain part of each year. What a wonderful feeling it was when he could announced, "This is my homestead."
Before much could be accomplished, he went back to his old home in Ontario and persuaded his old sweetheart, my mother, Isabel Murdock, to become a pioneer, too. This was a different life on the prairie, but they managed somehow.
Several families of settlers from Norway soon were neighbors, but all were young and soon only English was spoken. They were:
The Mickelsons, Olsons, Swensons, etc. The descendants of these families still live in this part of the state. Then a group of people came from Pennsylvania to make their fortune - two families of Berlins, Foe Baums, Charles Kribbs family.
This group of settlers all worked together and soon found out that a school must be built, as all were eager to have their children educated. There were no cars to take us to school, but the mile we walked down the road was very healthy for us.
The schoolhouse served as a church and meeting place of all sorts until a cyclone changed everything for them. The settlers did not neglect the finer things in life for their children.
The county commissioners in Cooperstown notified this group to submit a name for their Township and at a small group meeting of land owners, the name, Dover, was submitted by my father after a small town in England. It was agreed upon and all the children's children living now are proud to say, "We* came from Dover."
After the ownership of the land was approved, many trees were planted and roads were built. The government gave each landowner a quarter Section of land if he considered planting a certain part to trees.
The families were not neglected either. William and Isabel Sandy had five children to care for and both of them took their obligations seriously. The oldest died shortly after he was born, and the good catholic lady, who brought all of us into this world, baptized him before he passed away. She was a good Christian woman and loved by all. David, the next one in the family, became a dentist. Two daughters, Janet and Margaret, became teachers. Margaret became Mrs. Frank Shearer. Wardle was the last baby the stork delivered. He enlisted in World War I and after his release he became a salesman for a wholesale fruit concern.
Now all the family has passed on to the great beyond except Janet, and surely I am proud to look back and to declare, "Surely I have a goodly heritage."
Dover Township was originally called Union Township, and was created from part of Helena Township. It was organized on May 24, 1890. Union was to comprise all of Township 144, range 61. After being organized into a civil Township, the County Commissioners requested the landowners to submit a new name for their Township. The name "Dover," after a small town in England, was submitted by William Sandy, an early settler, and was chosen to be the new name.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 281