Henry Detwiller was of Pennsylvania Dutch and Scotch ancestry, a native of Canada, born in Fullerton Township, Perth County, Ontario, Canada in 1841, son of Christian Detwiller and Marian Campbell Detwiller. He married Mathilda Moore who was born February 26, 1852 of Irish ancestry and the daughter of Sam Moore and Mary Carson Moore.
He came to Griggs County in 1882 and took up a preemption claim in Tyrol Township seven miles north of Cooperstown (presently owned by Francis Zimprich) buildings unoccupied. In the spring of 1884 he went to Canada and in 1886 he returned with his wife, five sons and one daughter. They came by train and the daughter told of Indians looking in the train windows at stops. The children went to school, which was located north and east of the farm, and later moved to the land now owned by George Vigesaa, and known as Tyrol School #3. All the Detwiller children attended this school and also all the grandchildren. Many years later two granddaughters taught in this school, Erma and Marian Pratt, daughters of Mary Detwiller Pratt. Church services and Sunday school were held in the schoolhouse in early 1900's.
Other settlers moved on land nearby, and broke the land with oxen and plow. They sowed a few acres of wheat, had little rain, and a poor crop. The men worked for R. C. Cooper in the summer. In the fall they hauled wood for the winter from the river, cut sod and built a sod barn for the horses and oxen. They bought as many groceries as they could pay for and managed to survive the winter. In 1887 they only raised a good garden. In 1888 the crop looked good but just as it was ready to cut, frost took everything. One winter it stormed for three weeks and the men could not get wood from the river so they burned straw to heat their homes, saving what wood they had for cooking. They gradually got more cattle so fared better. Their youngest son, Harry, was the only child born in North Dakota in their first home on the prairie, which consisted of two rooms downstairs and two upstairs.
Henry was brought up as a Presbyterian, and was a member of the Congregational Church at the time of his death. He died in his sleep December 1, 1900 at the age of 59.
The Detwillers had six children:
1. John (1872-1941) married Gertrude Idalette Sherman of Appleton, Wisconsin. He farmed seven miles northwest of Cooperstown, the farm later was owned by a grandson, Wallace Pratt, and now by George Vigesaa. They had no children. 2. Mary (1874-1963) married Robert Hamilton Pratt, and lived six miles north of Cooperstown. 3. William (1876-1894) died at the age of 18. 4. Alex (1878-1927) married Margaret McNab of Fromberg, Montana. They farmed five and one-half miles north of Cooperstown, the farm now owned by Mrs. Nell Monson. They had one son, Duncan, who died at the age of 14. 5. Fred (1879-1938) married Martha Armstrong. They farmed seven miles north of Cooperstown, the farm now owned by Torval Stokkeland. They had one daughter, Lenore (Mrs. William Paintner) of rural Hannaford. 6. Andrew (1881-1937) married Isabelle Beattie, farmed four and one-half miles north of Cooperstown, and had four children. 7. Harry (1891-1967) married Lillian Williams of New Richmond, Wisconsin, a teacher. They farmed on the original Detwiller farm, lived in Wisconsin for a while and retired in Cooperstown where he worked for the highway department and later helped his son in a service station.
Other Detwillers who lived in Tyrol Township were Alex B. , his father was a brother of Henry. He married Agnes Roger, no children. Dates (1872-1954). They lived about eight miles northwest of Cooperstown, the present Ernest Wold farm. His brother, Harry C. (18751936) died in Montana where he had been ranching the later years. Both were born at St. Marys, Ontario, Canada and came to Griggs County in 1897. It is interesting to note that all the Henry Detwiller children lived within three miles of each other, also Alex B.
Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 452