Kjelgaard Family

 

Charlie Kjelgaard and his brother, Gregars, came to the Hannaford vicinity about 1910, from Aalborg, Denmark, to start a new life in a new land.

In about 1912, Charlie bought a farm in Bald Hill Township on the banks of the Bald Hill Creek.  He returned to Denmark to convince his entire family to emigrate to America.  However, only brother, Harold, decided to stay. 

In 1915, Charlie married Betsy Ronnie who had come to Hannaford from Wisconsin with her sister, Mable (Boe) and friend, Bessie Cass.

Charles and Betsy went through good times and bad, weathering the depression and drought years, raised their four children.  The oldest, Karen, married Warren Lundeen and they also farmed in the for many years.  They now reside in the San Diego area of California.  Marion, one of the twins married Bill Sloan and Marjorie married Ralph Landers and they raised their families in the San Diego area.  Orlie went to Portland, Oregon, where he and his wife, Marie, raised their two daughters.  He passed away in 1977.

Harold married Minnie Olson who passed away in 1935.  They had one son, Myron, who grew up in the area and married Virginia Green of Sutton.  They farmed in the Sutton and McHenry areas and raised their family there.

Harold married Myrtle Knutsen in about 1940, and had two sons, Richard and Harold, Jr., from this union.  He passed away at Cooperstown in the late 1950s.

Charles was always concerned about political affairs.  He served as County Sheriff and served in the State Legislature in 1948 and 1949.  He passed   away in 1950, and Betsy passed away in California in 1976.

Source:  Hannaford Area History North Dakota Centennial 1889 - 1989 Page 181