Lars B. LARSON

  Noted events in his life were:

• Alt. Birth, 18 Jan 1846, Mosterøy Island, Rogaland, Norway.

• Military: Civil War, 1864, Fillmore County, Minnesota, USA. LARSON, Lars B.
MN 7th Inf Co E. Residence: Newburg, Fillmore County, Minnesota. Born 18 Jan 1846 at Mosterøy, Rogaland, Norway, a son of Bjorn Larsen and Ingeborg Johnsdatter. Came to America in 1854 to LaSalle County, Illinois. Civil War: Age 19. Enrolled 30 Aug 1864. Mustered the same day. Recruit. Private. Discharged from the service with his regiment, 16 Aug 1865. Post war: Married on 28 Jan 1871 to Anna Karina Faa. Later that year they moved by oxcart to Norman County, Minnesota, and settled north of Halstad. Lars Larsen of Walnut Grove, Redwood County, Minnesota, was granted a pension of $4 a month because of a wound to his left hand. Married in 1911 to Mrs. Betsey Bloom. Lars died 2 Jul 1921 at Halstad, Minnesota. Sources: (MINN p342) (MCIW p378) ("History of Fillmore County", publ 1912, p150) (Pension List 1882-3 Vol 4 p573) (Bruce Larson, Minneapolis, Minnesota)

• Reference: History of Clay and Norman Counties, Minnesota, 1918, Minnesota, USA. ³ pp176-179

LARS B. LARSON.



Lars B. Larson, one of the real pioneers of Norman county and a well-
known and substantial retired farmer of Halstad township, now living in
the pleasant village of Halstad, has been a resident of this section of the
state from the days of the beginning of permanent settlement up this way,
having come here before the city of Moorhead had been laid out and some
years before the city of Ada even had been projected in the mind of man.
In those days the old Hudson Bay Company was still doing a thriving busi-
ness in furs throughout this section of the country and for some time after
taking his homestead here Mr. Larson found profitable incidental employ-
ment as a freighter in the service of that company. When settlers began
coming in and there were enough of them in the vicinity of the location of
Mr. Larson's place to effect a township organization he took an active part
in the organization of Halstad township and afterward served for some
time as a member of the board of township supervisors and for two years
as chairman of the board, while in other ways he performed well his part
in the general development of this section in pioneer days.

Lars B. Larson was born in the kingdom of Norway on January 18,
1846, son of Bjorn and Ingeborg (Johnson) Larson, natives of that same
country, who came to the United States with their family in 1854 and located in LaSalle county, Illinois, whence, two years later, in 1856, they came to Minnesota and settled in Fillmore county, where they remained until along in the middle or later seventies, when they came up to this part of the state, whence their son, the subject of this sketch, had preceded them some years before, and located in Halstad township, Norman county, where they spent their last days. Bjorn Larson was a substantial pioneer farmer. Though reared a Lutheran, he died in the faith of the Methodist church. He and his wife were the parents of nine children, of whom the subject of this sketch was the first-born, the others being Andrew B., Martha B., B. B.,
Lena, Daniel, Eli, William and Christen.

Eight years of age when he came with his parents to this country, Lars
B. Larson completed his schooling in the schools of Fillmore countv, this

CLAY AND NORMAN COUNTIES, MINNESOTA. 177

state, and there grew to manhood on the farm on which his parents had
settled, farming on his own account after he had attained his majority. In
1871 he married and in that same year he and his wife came up to this part
of the state, thus being among the very first permanent settlers in this
section. That was one year before Clay county was organized as a separate
civic body and ten years before the organization of Norman county, Moor-
head, the county seat of Clay county, not being founded until a year after
he came up here and Ada, seat of Norman county, not for some years after-
ward. Upon coming up here Mr. Larson entered a quarter of a section of
land, a portion of which was situated in section 13 of what later came to be
organized as Halstad township and the remainder in section 18 of the adjoin-
ing township, establishing his home on that portion in section 13. When
the "odd" sections later were set off to the state to be held in trust for the
promotion of railroad building, Mr. Larson was required to buy that portion
oh his homestead lying in section 13. Mr. Larson and his wife drove through
from Fillmore county with two ox-teams, two cows, two calves and two
sheep, a wagonload of household goods and essential farming implements,
one sack of flour and five dollars in cash. During the first year of his resi-
dence here Mr. Larson was able to add to his small supply of cash by doing-
some freighting for the Hudson Bay Company, which at that time was
still doing an extensive business in the Red River valley. As he gradually-
prospered in his farming operations Mr. Larson added to his land holdings
until be became the owner of four hundred and seventv-five acres of excel-
lent land and was counted one of the substantial pioneer residents of that
section. He continued to make his home on the farm until 1896, when he
retired from the active labors of the farm and moved to Halstad, where he
since has made his home. In 1912 he bought a furniture store in that village,
but after conducting the same for about three years again retired and is now
taking things easy again. As noted above, Mr. Larson was one of the
organizers of Halstad township and served for years as member of the
board of supervisors of the same, for two years serving as chairman of the
board. He is a member of the Methodist church and has ever given his
earnest attention to neighborhood good works and in other ways has been
helpful in bringing his home township to its present high state of develop-
ment.

Lars B. Larson has been twice married. It was on January 18, 1871,
the year in which he moved to this part of the state, that he was united in
marriage, in Fillmore county, to Anna K. Faae, who shared with him the
(12a)



178 CLAY AND NORMAN COUNTIES, MINNESOTA.

trials and privations of a life on the frontier and who died in 1896, after
a residence of more than twenty-five years in Halstad township. To that
union seven children were born, Bernhardt, Emma, Isabel, Theodore, Clara.
Emelia and Lawrence. On January 2, 1907, Mr. Larson married Betsie
Bloom, who died on July 10. 1915.

• Cemetery: Halstad Lutheran South Cemetery, 1921, Norman County, Minnesota, USA.

Lars married Anna Karina FAA, daughter of Thore Olson FAA and Elisabeth Christiansdatter SPANDE, on 28 Jan 1871 in Fillmore County, Minnesota, USA.¹ (Anna Karina FAA was born on 12 May 1852 in LaSalle County, Illinois, USA and died on 6 Feb 1909 in Norman County, Minnesota, USA ^{4 5}.)

  Noted events in their marriage were:

• Alt. Marriage, 18 Jan 1871, Fillmore County, Minnesota, USA.

Lars next married Betsie BLOOM on 2 Jan 1907. (Betsie BLOOM was born about 1859 in Illinois, USA and died on 10 Jul 1915.)