Grand Forks – North Dakota Genealogy

Biography of Luther B. Richardson of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Luther B. Richardson, born March 22, 1836, in Cheshire, Massachusetts, relocated with his family to Plattsburg and then Lowville, New York. In 1882, he moved to Grand Forks, Dakota Territory, where he played a key role in organizing the Union National Bank, serving as its president. Richardson was deeply involved in public affairs, serving as Secretary of the Territory of North Dakota in 1889 and Mayor of Grand Forks from 1890 to 1894. Known for his enterprise and prudence, he passed away on July 20, 1901, in Grand Forks, survived by his wife and one son.

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Biography of Louis K. Hassell of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Louis K. Hassell, born August 19, 1862, near Hamar, Norway, became a prominent resident of Grand Forks, North Dakota. After immigrating to the U.S. in 1881, he worked in various legal and governmental positions. He edited the Norwegian newspaper “Tidende” and founded the “Normanden.” Hassell served as clerk of the district court from 1889, elected four times, and later as county judge. Active in the Republican party and various fraternal organizations, he married Sophia A. Anderson in 1886, and they had four children: Clarence L., Selma L., Olga O., and Agnes F.

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Biography of Kenneth Campbell Hunter of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Kenneth Campbell Hunter, a contractor and builder in Grand Forks, North Dakota, was born January 28, 1858, in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. Son of Kenneth Hunter and Ann Campbell Hunter, he moved to North Dakota in 1881 and pursued a career in contracting and building. Between 1884 and 1889, he lived in Crookston, Minnesota, before returning to Grand Forks. Hunter served as an alderman and held shares in the Grand Forks Building and Developing Company. He married Margaret E. Willow on June 5, 1884, and they had several children. He was an active member of several fraternal organizations and the First Presbyterian Church.

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Biography of Michael F. Murphy of Grand Forks, North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Michael F. Murphy, born March 28, 1858, in Dubuque County, Iowa, became a prominent figure in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After a diverse career in bookkeeping and sales, he co-founded Collins & Murphy in 1886, growing it into the state’s largest farm implement and fuel business. Post-1893, he excelled in the insurance industry and was highly active in public affairs, including serving on the Grand Forks city council, school board, and as a state senator. Married to Margaret E. Bowler in 1882, they had eight children, with Margaret notably surviving a tragic 1909 steamship collision.

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Biography of Moses Norman of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Moses Norman, born September 9, 1863, in Henderson, Minnesota, was a prominent businessman in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He moved to Grand Forks in 1882, later establishing an undertaking business in Lakota before returning to Grand Forks in 1901 to run a successful undertaking and furniture business. Active in civic affairs, Norman served on the local school board from 1895 and held leadership positions in the Furniture Dealers Association and the Irish American Club. A Democrat and devout Roman Catholic, he married Ella Clara Lynch in 1886, with whom he had six children.

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Biography of Oliver Sigvard Hanson of Grand Forks, North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Oliver Sigvard Hanson, born June 3, 1862, in Hanover Township, Iowa, was a prominent banking figure in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Son of Norwegian immigrants Hans A. and Maren Hanson, he moved to North Dakota in 1881. By 1884, he managed the State Bank of Buxton and eventually became president of the State Bank of Grand Forks, the Scandinavian American Bank of Grand Forks, and the State Bank of Buxton, as well as vice president of the State Bank of Grandon. Although interested in politics, he primarily focused on banking. In 1892, he married Louise Sorlie, and they had five children: Harley Irving, Meryn Herbert, Verdine Olive, Charlotte Louise, and Caroline Josephine.

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Biography of Oscar C. G. Knudson of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Oscar C. G. Knudson, born October 17, 1872, in Faribault, Minnesota, was a prominent business figure in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Educated in the public schools of Grand Forks, he held various jobs before becoming a clerk at the Columbia Hotel on May 1, 1902, managed by his father. Knudson was well-regarded in social circles and participated actively in organizations such as the Elks, the Ancient Order of United Workmen, and the Knights of Pythias. He married Louise Torguson from Alma, Wisconsin, in November 1900.

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Biography of Robert H. McCoy of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Robert H. McCoy, born January 7, 1859, in Green County, Wisconsin, is a prominent resident of Grand Forks, North Dakota. Son of James and Margrete McCoy, he began his career in the timber industry in Wisconsin. In 1879, McCoy moved to Grand Forks, where he founded the Grand Forks Lumber Company, serving as its president and manager. The company became the largest industrial enterprise in the Northwest. McCoy also holds interests in other ventures, including the Bonners’ Ferry Lumber Company in Idaho. He married Caddie E. Scribner on May 15, 1886, and they have two sons, Lawrence R. and Harold J. McCoy.

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Biography of Samuel W. Rutledge of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Samuel W. Rutledge, M.D., born December 31, 1852, in Bellefontaine, Ohio, was a prominent physician in Grand Forks, North Dakota. After moving to Minnesota in his early childhood, he pursued medicine, graduating from the Homeopathic Medical College of Missouri in 1876. Rutledge practiced in Cresco, Iowa, before relocating to Grand Forks in 1881. Married to Mirian Fuller, he had three children: Ruby, Georgia, and an infant son who died. Dr. Rutledge was well-regarded in his profession and passed away on February 3, 1907.

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Biography of Seymour B. Titus of Grand Forks North Dakota

Grand Forks County / History of the Red River Valley

Seymour B. Titus, born June 3, 1851, in Oak Grove, Minnesota, was a successful banker in Grand Forks, North Dakota. He began his career in the First Bank of Shakopee in 1872, later working for a banker in Sauk Center. In 1879, Titus co-founded the Bank of Grand Forks, the first bank in the Red River Valley. This institution grew rapidly, becoming the First National Bank in 1881. Titus served as its cashier, contributing to its status as a leading financial institution. He married Annie L. Stabler in 1880, and they had one surviving child in 1908, Marion E. Titus.

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