Mathilda Torfin Sloulin
Hannah and John Torfin's daughter, Mathilda, was the first white child born in Griggs County.
Mrs. Torfin, the daughter of Ole Olson Bjornstad, together with her husband, her parents, her brothers and sisters, and neighbors from near Osage Iowa, first came to Griggs County in about April 1880. They stopped first at, Omund Nelson Opheim's; then located land and built log houses for themselves.
Mr. Torfin's choice of land was Southwest ¼ 26-146-58 in the Sheyenne River valley. The site of his log house was almost at the present location of Alf Ueland's farm buildings, east of the Ueland Dam. There on Sept. 11 1880, with Mrs. Torfin attended only by her mother, Mrs.Bjornstad, Mathilda was born, the first child of the county, the first child of her parents. Two of her brothers—Edwin in 1882, and Albert in 1884-- were born in this log house.
Mathilda Torfin together with Kate Olson Opheim, the second child born in Griggs County, was baptized in the late fall by Rev I. Lundeby, a Lutheran missionary who visited the settlers of the Sheyenne Valley.
Mr. Torfin took final proof on his land in 1883. The family moved to Rousseau Minn. in 1887. After the death of Mrs. Torfin's mother, Mrs. Bjornstad, the family returned to the home of Mr. Bjornstad in Romness township, to take care of him. After the death of Mr. Bjornstad, the family remained in N.D. but moved to Aneta N.D. where they spent the rest of their lives. Mr. Torfin died in Apr. 1932, and Mrs. Torfin in May 1935.
Mathilda was married to Olaf M. Sloulin on May 6,1900 at Aneta, by Ray.Thayer.
Mr. Sloulin, Of Norwegian ancestry was born in Wisconsin May 3, 1875. He was a pharmacist by trade. He died July 1, 1930.
The house in which Mrs. Sloulin was born in was built in the spring of 1880 by her father, John Torfin. He built it of logs cut from the trees on his own homestead. It was 9' by 14', had two windows and one door. The household furnishings were simple, mostly homemade. They had their own candle mold.
Mrs. Sloulin died in
She left four children: Effie Sloulin Volkman, Hazelle Sloulin Otterson Welters, Mildred Sloulin Syvertson, and Milton Sloulin.
Bibliography: Questionnaire, by Mrs. Sloulin for Hannah Lenda Interview of Albert Torfin, by Myrtle Porterville