Ole Myer

Ole Myer was born and grew up in Fillmore County, Whalan, Minnesota Hilda Hoff was born and grew up in the same area.  In 1907 they were married and farmed for 12 years in the area.

Ole had five brothers and three sisters.  All except Ole and Martin still lived in Minnesota The rest of the brothers and sisters left some years before and moved to Binford, North Dakota When Ole was told about the many acres and the big crops, especially the bumper crops of 1915 and 1918, he decided to move to Binford.

In March he had a sale, and on March 21, 1919 his wife and four children took the train to Binford.  Thenora was eleven, Helen nine, Herbert five and Lester three.  LaVerne was born after they came to North Dakota in 1925.

When they left Minnesota the grass and trees were green.  The day the family arrived in Binford, Nels Nordness, Ole's brother in law met us at the depot with sleigh and horses.  There was a lot of snow and ice to go through to get to our destination, which was 10 miles.

Ole came almost two weeks later with some cattle and three horses.  He slept in the freight car with the animals so he could feed and water them.  There were feeding stations certain places along the way.  The last station was in Staples, Minnesota He fed, watered and exercised the animals.

We settled on a farm in Willow Township southwest of Red Willow.  A bachelor named Lars Skarsbo lived there and he stayed with us for a year.

Ole passed away March 1941 at the age of 59 years.  Lester farmed the land until 1942 then joined the Army.  Herbert served in the Navy.

Mrs. Hilda Myer passed away October 14, 1967.

Thenora married Arthur Svaren - they had a daughter Solveig and a son Dale.  Arthur Svaren passed away in 1962.  Thenora married Arthur Torgerson in 1967.  Helen married Edwin Udgaard in 1934 - have one daughter Janice.  Herbert married Wilma Bjornson from Binford - had two daughters, Sharon and Sandra.  Herbert passed away in 1954 - at the age of 41 years.  Lester married Janette Johnson from Cooperstown - has two sons, lives in Fargo.  LaVerne married Glenn Philbrick - have three sons - Brad, Neal and Dean - and lives in Moorhead, Minnesota

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 Page 499