My father Charlie Cederson, born January 21, 1859 came from Smaaland, Sweden to America in 1880 and mother, Helena Langaard, born March 6, 1868 came from LilleLamar, Norway.
After their marriage they settled in Hannaford, built a little house, (son Nick was born here in 1892,) which still stands, (the Bill Weller residence) located next to the old Printing Office, where the Hannaford Enterprise Newspaper was published. Then later, as father was Section foreman for the Northern Pacific road, they moved into the newly built house located a mile and a half north of Hannaford, a beautiful country surrounded by hills and Bald Hill Creek running through.
The railroad track, Northern Pacific, ran close by our house, also a water-tank that supplied the water for the trains.
Our favorite trains those days were the circus trains that ran by on this track on its way to Cooperstown. Our parents would awaken us kids early in the morning to watch that train go by, and for us to dress, eat breakfast and get ready to board the passenger when it had to stop for the engine to fill with water. We were then on our way. On our way back, the train didn't stop so we'd ride into town and walk home. What a big day it was! And lots of popcorn too.
The highway, a dirt road, also runs close to our home. There was not too much traffic those days. I remember one time an incident our father telling us about an early spring some Indians came by in their covered wagons driven by horses, and camped overnight close to our home. During the night a snowstorm came up. Father got up and dressed to go over to their camp to ask them to pack as many horses as they could into our barn.
After I, Lillian, finished school, I worked in the Post Office with Chris Reite as postmaster. I felt sorry for our mail carriers Johnny Haugen and Lauris McCallson especially in the wintertime. They drove in sleighs, which were partly enclosed to help them carry their mail sacks in. their faces were white with frost, so cold.
When Mr. Reite resigned to become President of the First National Bank, Billie Sinclair became postmaster, and his wife Jennie had my job. I then worked as operator in the telephone office. When Eleanor finished school she taught school around Elgin, North Dakota, also in the Helena Township School.
Our father and mother had six children. Four sons:
Nick, Gust, Ingvald and baby Albert. All are deceased.
There were 2 daughters:
1. Eleanor Campbell residing in Stevens Point, Wisconsin and Lillian Hanson in Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Mother died in 1906. In 1908 dad was married to Jennie Johnson, three years after the death of his first wife. Five children:
Nick, Gust, Lillian, Eleanor and Ingvald were raised by Jennie Cederson. These were the family of the first marriage. Two daughters, Mabelle (Mae in 1914), and Alice (in 1920) were born to the second marriage.
An outdoor bricked lined oven was built into a small hillside near the house to enable the family to bake bread etc., without having to heat up the house in hot summer months by the regular coal and wood cook stoves.
An icehouse also furnished ice for the year for the early day refrigeration the "ice box."
A harp, phonograph, banjo, mouth organs. were musical instruments of the family.
Much knitting, tatting, quilting, carding of wool, whist, Flinch, checkers, and dominoes were the pastimes. Jennie knitted wool stockings for World War I Veterans. The oldest son Nick was among the first to go into service.
Taffy pulls, popcorn and home-made root-beer were all enjoyed. The sleigh rides were just great!
When the Section house burned in 1925, the family moved to Hannaford. No Section house was rebuilt as in the fall of 1926 after Charles Cederson retirement in the spring of 1926, the Hannaford Section was moved to Cooperstown as its headquarters. The two daughters of Charles and Jennie lived here thereafter.
Mabelle married LeRoy McCallson and lives in Hannaford. They have two children:
Judy and Jerome.
Alice married Douglas Lee and lives in West Fargo, North Dakota. They have two sons, Donald and Charles.
Mr. and Mrs. Charlie Cederson and Son, Nick
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 130