Biography of Ole L. Anderson
June 26, 1926
--Clara Anderson
Mr. and Mrs. Ole L. Anderson were not among the early pioneers of North Dakota. They came to North Dakota in 1903. By this time pioneer days )in the part of North Dakota they came to) was a thing of the past.
Miss Martin Iverson was born August 13, 1868 in Filmore County, Minnesota.
Martha Iverson was married to Ole L. Anderson December 21, 1896.
Mr. and Mrs. O. L. Anderson made their home near Lanesboro (small town in southern Minnesota) for seventeen years.
Mr. Anderson came to North Dakota March 28, 1905 seeking residence in Griggs County. He bought section 26 in Pilot Mount Township paying $25 an acre. He rented 480 acres of land belonging to J. C. Thinglestad also in Pilot Mount Township.
Mrs. Anderson came to Griggs County several weeks later. Her trip was not enjoyed as much as it might have been because of a train wreck which caused much delay. The wreck was caused by a collision of two trains just below St. Paul. Three men were killed and the rest had to walk one mile carrying their baggage to meet the other train. The walk was very disagreeable for it had rained all night. The train left St. Paul at two o’clock in the morning and reached Jessie at two o’clock the following day.
Jessie had but one grocery store, a restaurant, and one hardware store with post office combined. There weren’t more than about five or six houses in town.
Mr. and Mrs. Anderson left their former home because the land was selling at such a high price that only one who was rich could afford to buy it. They chose North Dakota because the land was cheap and partly because my father had several friends who had already made their home here, and they influenced them to come here.
The land which Mr. Anderson rented was located about five miles from Jessie. They lived here for six years and then bought the Ness farm in 1907. The land is located in Willow Township; it is the northeast half of section 36. A part was located in Pilot Mound Township, the west half of section 31.
In 1912 he bought 360 acres of land in Tyrol Township. He worked this land for six years, and then sold it to Edwin Thorn and Mr. E. J. Fiebiger. They sold section 23 in Pilot Mound Township to Lars Anderson.
The descendants of Mr. and Mrs. Anderson are: Court Bonewell of Cooperstown, North Dakota; Lars Anderson of Binford, North Dakota; Mrs. Clarence P. Dahl of Jessie. The others, Oscar Anderson, Clarence Anderson, Clara Anderson and Arthur Anderson are making their home with their mother Mrs. O. L. Anderson of Jessie.
Mr. O.L. Anderson died September 28, 1926. He is buried in what is known as the “West Prairie Lutheran Cemetery”.