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Grand Harbor
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James Graham, a
prosperous and representative farmer of Grand Harbor township, Ramsey County, is
comfortably located on section 23, where he has surrounded himself with all the
comforts and conveniences of farm life.
Mr. Graham was born in Haldimand, Province of Ontario, Canada, February 18,
1852. He was reared to manhood and educated in his native province, receiving
the benefits to be had from the common schools until he was nineteen years of
age, in the meantime doing his share of work on the home farm. He continued to
live in Canada until 1885. In the spring of that year he removed to North
Dakota, first settling in the northern part of Grand Forks County. He resided
there only six months, however, when he removed to Bottineau County and took up
a claim to land. There he remained until 1896, when he came to Ramsey county in
the spring of that year and took up the land on which he now resides in Grand
Harbor township. He still holds his land, two hundred and forty acres, in
Bottineau county. He is the owner of one hundred and sixty acres of valuable
land and has been a successful agriculturist since coming to Ramsey county. His
property is well improved and supplied with good stock.
Mr. Graham was married, near Lindsay, Ontario, Canada, to Miss Abigail
Peel. Mrs. Graham is also a native of Ontario, her birthplace being in
that province, near the village of Lindsay. Here she was reared and educated and
became the wife of Mr. Graham. They are the parents of three children, named as
follows : Margaret B. J., Mary A. and Charles H.
Mr. Graham has never sought political preferment, but has been content to do
what he could toward the material prosperity of his community and county. He has
proved himself a valuable and representative citizen and enjoys the confidence
and esteem of all.
[Source: "Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota", Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by Dena Whitesell]
George McDevitt,
a prosperous merchant of Grand Harbor, North Dakota, is a gentleman of wide
business experience and has made a success of his life work. He is an old
settler of Ramsey county, and has aided materially in its advancement and his
name is associated with many of the public enterprises which make that country
well known.
Our subject was born in Olmstead county, Minnesota, October 13, 1862, and was
reared in the city of Rochester, Minnesota, and educated in the public schools
and high school at Grand Meadow in Mower county and also took a course at Curtis
Business College in Minneapolis. He then dealt in horses in Minneapolis from
1879 until 1881, and in November of that year went to Fort Totten and after a
short stay there returned to Minnesota. In the following spring he again went to
Fort Totten and entered the employ of Peck & School, who were the post traders
there and remained in their employ five months, after which he returned to
Minnesota. In the spring of 1883 he again located in North Dakota, and soon
afterward engaged in farming in the vicinity of Devils Lake. He followed that
occupation until the spring of 1889, when he engaged in the mercantile business
at York, Benson county, and continued there until the fall of 1891. He then went
to Grand Harbor, Ramsey county, and erected the building in which he now
conducts the business and has since followed mercantile pursuits there. Mr.
McDevitt was appointed postmaster of Grand Harbor in June, 1894, under President
Cleveland, and held the office until June, 1899, proving himself an efficient
officer and gaining the confidence of the people of Ramsey county.
Our subject was married in York, Benson county, North Dakota, to Miss
Frances Roney Buckley, a native of Rochester, Minnesota. Mrs. McDevitt
died in Grand Harbor, North Dakota, June 7, 1900. Three children were born to
Mr. and Mrs. McDevitt, two of whom are living, and bear the names of
Lucile F. and George L. Esther died
at the age of about three years. Mr. McDevitt is prominent in local affairs, and
has served as chairman of the board of supervisors of Grand harbor township and
has filled other minor offices in his township. He is a man of ability and
energetic effort and is deservedly held I high esteem by all. [Source:
Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900 - Tr. By Debbie
Gibson]
Louis H Miller,
a substantial and influential business man of Grand Harbor, has been a resident
of Ramsey county since its early settlement, and has much to do with the
political history and business development of his section of the state of North
Dakota.
Mr. Miller is a native of Norway, where he was born January 2, 1858. He was
reared and educated in the land of his birth, and grew to maturity there. In
1880 he came to America, landing in New York in October of that year. He first
went to Chicago, where he remained two years, and then, in April, 1882, came to
Ramsey county, and took up land near Graham's Island. He remained there only
about one year, when he went to Norway township, in 1883, and took up land and
began permanent improvements. He put his farm in a good state of cultivation and
followed farming successfully about nine years. He then same to Grand Harbor, in
1893, in the early spring, and opened a hotel, and also engaged in the lumber
business. The hotel he conducted about one year, then sold it, and put in a line
of farm machinery in connection with his lumber business, and has since handled
these two lines of business together with great success. He has an extensive
trade, and is constantly increasing his business. He also operates his farm and
stock business. He is the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of valuable
land in Norway township, and he has, by careful and judicious management and
hard work, secured for himself and family a comfortable home and ample
competence for after years.
Mr. Miller was married at Devils Lake to Miss Anna H. Larson.
Mrs. Miller was born in Wisconsin. To this union six children have been born,
five of whom are living, named as follows: Alfred S., George M., Thomas,
Clarine W. and Louise. They lost one son,
Leander, when he was two years old.
Mr. Miller has taken an active interest in public affairs and has always been
interested in matters of an educational nature. He was one of the organizers of
Norway township, and is thoroughly acquainted with the history of Ramsey county,
and is entitled to mention among those who have developed its resources and
prosperity. [Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ.
1900 - Tr. By Debbie Gibson]
William D Millar. The mercantile interests of Grand Harbor,
North Dakota, have a worthy exponent in the person of Mr. Millar. He is engaged
in the hardware and lumber business and has acquired a comfortable competence
and a wide reputation as a worthy citizen.
Our subject was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, September 27, 1865. He was reared in
his native place and educated in the Woodward College of Cincinnati, and resided
there until the spring of 1884, when he came to Ramsey county, North Dakota, and
engaged in farming in Grand Harbor township. He followed this occupation about
one year there and then was engaged two years in carrying mail from Devils Lake
to Great Falls, Montana. Soon afterward he engaged with A. M. Powell in the real
estate and loan business at Devils Lake, and after two years embarked in the
same business in Devils Lake for himself, which he continued until 1896, and
then removed to Grand Harbor, where he has since followed mercantile pursuits.
He enjoys a liberal patronage in the hardware and lumber business and has made a
success of that line.
Our subject was married in Osnabrock, Cavalier county, North Dakota, to Miss
Anna Cairns, a native of Canada. Four children have been born
to Mr. and Mrs. Millar, three of whom are living, and are named as follows
Helen C., Anna C. and Andrew. A daughter,
Bessie D., died March 23, 1900, aged nine years. Mr. Millar is
a gentleman of broad mind and his public spirit has never been called in
question. He is the present treasurer of Grand Harbor township and school clerk,
and is active in all matters pertaining to the upbuilding or development of his
township and county. He holds memberships in the Knights of Pythias lodge.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900 - Tr.
By Debbie Gibson]
William J Morgridge, the
genial and efficient postmaster of Grand harbor, is one of the prominent and
substantial business men of Ramsey county, and one who has done much to promote
the welfare of his community.
Mr. Morgridge was born in Franklin county, Maine, in the town of Chesterville,
August 25, 1844. He spent a portion of his boyhood there, and attended the
public schools. At the age of thirteen years he went to Manchester, Maine, and
lived there on a farm, working and attending the common-schools until 1873, when
he went to Hallowell, Maine. He was engaged in the shoe bbusiness at that place
for the five years following, and then, in the latter part of the '60s, he went
to Knoxville, Tennessee, where he opened up a mercantile business. In 1897 he
came to Dakota, taking up his residence at Valley City, and there engaged in
farming, and was for two years deputy register of deeds. It was in June, 1882,
when he entered Ramsey county. He located in Grand Haven township and engaged in
farming, in which he made fair money at the business until 1889, when he came to
the village of Grand Harbor and entered the mercantile business, in which he has
since been engaged with great success. He has steadily increased his trade, and
enjoys a substantial patronage from all the surrounding country. He was
appointed postmaster of Grand Harbor in April, 1899. Mr. Morgridge has always
been active in the interests of good government, and has held the office of
township clerk, and also that of school treasurer, and has always used his
influence and has labored for the good of his community. He has a host of warm
friends, and the confidence of all with whom he has had dealings. He is a member
of the Masonic fraternity. [Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North
Dakota, Publ. 1900 - Tr. By Debbie Gibson]
Andrew Sherven,
one of the members of the agricultural community who have made Grand Harbor a
prosperous township and added to the wealth of Ramsey county, is a native of
Norway, and, like so many of her hardy sons, has found a congenial home in the
great Northwest.
Mr. Sherven was born in Norway, November II, 1849, and was reared on a farm in
his native land until he was about twenty years of age, when, in 1869, he came
to the United States. He first went to Dane county, Wisconsin, where he was
employed in farm labor for three years. He then went to Goodhue county,
Minnesota, where he remained about two years, and then went to the Red river
valley, in North Dakota. Here he worked on the Northern Pacific Railroad one
summer, when he returned to Goodhue county, Minnesota. He attended the Auxburg
Seminary, at Minneapolis, for three years, and also took a business course in
Curtiss" Business College of that city.
In the spring of 1883 Mr. Sherven came to Ramsey county and took up one hundred
and sixty acres of land, where he still makes his home. He has added many
valuable improvements, and his property is one of the most desirable estates in
Ramsey county. He is now the proprietor of three hundred and twenty acres of
land, having added one hundred and sixty acres. He was engaged in the hotel
business in Grafton for about a year and a half since coming to North Dakota.
Mr. Sherven was married in St. Paul, Minnesota, to Miss Mary Samuelson,
who is also a native of Norway. They are the parents of four children, named in
the order of their birth as follows : Andrew, Jr., Caroline, Matthew and Annetta.
They have a comfortable home, supplied with all the conveniences of modern farm
life. Mr. Sherien has taken an active part in the public affairs of his
community and township, and has been entrusted with some of the more important
offices of his township. Among others may be named that of supervisor, assessor,
school director, etc. He has used his influence to advance the educational
interests of his community, and has been a worker for the upbuilding of the
schools of the township. He is also a consistent member of the Norwegian
Lutheran church.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by B.Z.]
Frank Vanderlinden.
The wealth of Ramsey county is formed in a good part by the incomes of the
well-regulated farms of Grand Harbor township, and one of these carefully
cultivated tracts is owned and operated by Mr. Vanderlinden, who resides in
section 36. He is a pioneer settler of that region, and is one of the worthy
citizens of his community, and one in whose coming to the country has aided in
its development to a remarkable degree. He is a man of good character, energetic
and intelligent, and has made a success of his labors in the Northwest.
Our subject was born in Belgium, in 1855, and resided in his native place until
1871, when he came to the United States with his parents. The family settled in
Brown county, Wisconsin. where our subject remained until 1882. In March of that
year he came to North Dakota, and entered claim to land in section 36, of Grand
Harbor township. He at once began the improvement of his farm and has resided
thereon since that date. The farm has good buildings and every arrangement for
its economical conduct. Mr. Vanderlinden owns one hundred and sixty acres of
land, and has met with good success, and his farm yields abundantly and
furnishes a comfortable competence. Mr. Vanderlinden was married, in Devils
Lake, North Dakota, to Miss DeClark. who was also born in
Belgium. Mr. and Mrs. Vanderlinden are the parents of one son, upon whom they
have bestowed the name of Joseph. Our subject takes an active
interest in the general welfare of his community, and casts his influence for
good local government.
[Source: Compendium of History and Biography of North Dakota, Publ. 1900.
Transcribed by B.Z.]
Taken from Andreas' 1884 Historical Atlas of Dakota
RAMSEY COUNTY
Grand Harbor
This thriving town situated at the head of
Teller's Bay, which projects in a northeasterly direction from the main lake,
and about six miles northwest from the city of Devils Lake, on one of the finest
harbors on the lake. It was laid out in the spring of 1882, and the first house
put up in the summer of that year by A. J. Wirtz. The first lots were sold on
the 9th of June. The place has grown quite rapidly, and now contains a weekly
newspaper, The Devils Lake Globe, established by A. J. Garner, April 26 1883,
the first paper wholly edited and published on Devils Lake; a half dozen stores,
two hotels, a blacksmith shop, several saloons, and a considerable population.
The town is finely situated. The extension of the railway north will probably
make this a point. There is deep water in the bay all the way up to the town.
Looking for Information on this township
If you wish to submit data for this township, please contact Colleen Goltz Ramsey County Coordinator since 19 April 2013.