My great-grandfather, Gunder Legreid,  came from Norway in 1871.
He came through Ellis Island in New York on November 17, 1871 and
spent several years in Wisconsin. In the spring of 1895 he
homesteaded in North Viking Township near Maddock, ND.  Maddock
was a nearly all Norwegian community with many Scandinavian
names (e.g., Knatterud, Wisness, Bratvold, Nottestad, Olson,
Benson, Swanson, etc.).   In 1900 Gunder returned to Norway and
stayed for one year.

In Norway my great grandfather’s name was Gunder Lægreid. This
spelling uses a letter of the alphabet that we do not have in English.
The American version is Legreid.  He came from the village of
Eidfjord, Norway.  Eidfjord is at the tip of the Hardanger Fjord.  There
is a place near Eidfjord called Lægreid.  A few of my relatives still live
there.  A couple of them are Endre, Gunnar, and Feli Vik.  They have
visited my home and my parents have visited them in Norway.

My great -grandfather’s parent’s names were Helge and Gunhild
(Bremnes) Lægreid.  My great-grandfather had one sister named
Gjuri.  None of these people ever left Norway.  Helge lived from 1838
to 1909.  Gunhild lived from 1834 to 1914.

Maren (Marie) Larson, my great-grandmother, was born in Hamar,
Norway on June 30, 1884.  Her parents were Ludvig and Julina
Larson.  Marie’s mother died when Marie was four, her father when
she was eight.  She had one younger brother named Mathias.  Marie
and Mathias came to the U.S. in 1904.  She married my great-
grandfather Gunder on February 23, 1905.  Mathias was killed in a
logging train accident in Washington.  He fell under a train while
working as a brake man on July 17, 1909.

My grandfather had only one uncle (Mathias) who was killed when he
was 25 years old and while still single.  He also had one aunt who
remained in Norway and never married.  So that is the reason for my
grandfather having very few relatives and no first cousins.

                     My American Family

Gunder and Marie had seven children (listed below)
  Infant Daughter               -died at birth
  Harold G. Legreid           -died at age 14 (Nov., 1921)
  Myrtle G. Legreid            -died at age 74 (Nov. 2, 1984)
  Noralf G. Legreid            -died at age 12 (Dec. 20, 1924)
  Leonard G. Legreid        -Missoula, Montana
  Melvin G. Legreid           -died a few years ago
  Firemann G. Legreid      - Bismarck, North Dakota

Four of them lived to adulthood. Those were Myrtle, Melvin, Leonard,
and Firemann.  Harold had died of double pneumonia in their home.
A few years later Noralf was stricken with appendicitis and due to lack
of medical facilities in the area, it was necessary for the doctor to
perform surgery in the home.  The appendix had ruptured and
peritonitis had set in.  He then died.

Gunder was a successful farmer and businessman.  He also
managed a grain elevator in Maddock for five years, was active in
public affairs, and was elected chairman of supervisors of the North
Viking Township in 1906.  He held this position for twenty years.  In
1910 he was elected county commissioner.  He served as a trustee of
North Viking Lutheran Church for many years.  They lived in a large
seven-bedroom farmhouse near Maddock.  Their farm included many
outbuildings such as the barn, animal houses, and grain building.  My
great-grandmother had hired help to aid in housework and taking care
of the children.  In fact, my grandfather, Firemann, was named by
Alma Westrum, the hired girl that cared for him.  She had a brother
named Freeman and there is a Norwegian name Firman, but the
unusual spelling of my grandfather’s name is kind of a mystery.

My great-grandfather was well known for having good horses.  In
the early 1920's they had twenty or more horses.  One, named
Betsy, was my great grandmother’s buggy horse.  It was a very
gentle buckskin that allowed the children to stand on her rear legs
and hold on to her tail.  They also had a French Coach team in the
early 1900's.

                        Life on the Farm

As a child my grandfather shared a bedroom with two brothers.  He
also shared a bed with one of them.  Their farmhouse did have a
parlor, but the family did not use it regularly.  They often had company
and they would eat in the dining room.  That is also where the family
had their everyday meals.  They cooked the meals on a wooden coal
fired stove in the kitchen.  The kitchen stove also helped heat the
house even though they had a central heater.  They did not have
indoor plumbing and took baths about once a week.  They got the
water from deep wells, but they had to share it.  The cellar was where
they stored apples, potatoes, canned foods, etc.  It was also used as
a refrigerator since they never owned one.  The family also had a
couple of farm dogs which were named Shep and Max.

My grandfather was the youngest of the seven children.  Growing up
he felt closest to his older sister, Myrtle.  My great-grandmother did
most of the cooking, ironing, etc., but she had help too.  My
grandfather’s duties as a small boy were to bring in the coal and the
water from the well.  As he grew older, he started helping out with the
farm.  He never learned the mechanics of a car and never learned
how to sew, crochet, knit, etc.  The family would visit their relatives
who lived nearby, often.  Because they didn’t have any form of
entertainment in the evenings, they passed the time by talking with
each other.  Every winter the family would move into town and move
back out in the summer.  They did this because the weather made
transportation hard.  In those days it was customary for farmers
moving to the city for the winter months, to take along a cow.  They
brought one cow along so they could have fresh milk and cream.

Gunder was a farmer and Marie never worked outside the house.  My
grandfather and his siblings contributed to the family income by
helping out on the farm.  My grandfather got a one dollar allowance
every Saturday night which he would use in town.  The family did
have a garden that was for family use.  The whole family helped with
the planting, digging, cultivating, weeding, and watering.  In the
garden they grew potatoes and cabbage.  On the farm they also had
apple and plum fruit trees.

On the farm they did raise hogs, chickens, and cows.  They would use
the cows for milk and to make their own butter.  They would also
slaughter the animals for the meat.  The family would eat beef, pork,
or chicken every day.

Every Saturday night was the big night in town and every Sunday the
family would go to church in town.  Sunday was also their resting day.
For Christmas they would have family gatherings, exchange gifts, and
decorate a Christmas tree.  The children would usually get clothes or
little toys as gifts.  My great-uncle wrote in a 1983 letter to his sister
his recollections of Christmas in the early 1920's.

          “I believe it was in 1920 or 1921 on Christmas
          Eve dad would open the two sliding doors
          between the formal dining room and the living
          room and there was our Christmas tree all
          decked out with ornaments including the clip-on
          candle holders to hold the wax candles that
          would be lighted for the first time.  We would all
          join hands and circle around the tree and sing
          Christmas carols in Norwegian. I believe the
          Santa would be the oldest of the children and
          would pass out our gifts.

          The Christmas of 1921 was very sad because of
          the death of our brother, Harold, who died in
          November.  I do remember it was very cold this
          year because when we would go by sleigh... the
          snow would crunch and the bells on the horses
          would jingle.  I also can remember that dad
          would put out a bundle of grain for the birds.

          The Christmas of 1924 was again a very sad
          one.  This was the year our brother, Noralf,
          passed away just a few days before Christmas.”

The Fourth of July was also a big night in town and for Easter they
would attend the Easter church service.

In the summer there wasn’t much you could do to keep cool.  About
the only thing was to stay in the shade.  The Legreid family didn’t go
barefoot, but had to have their shoes fixed regularly by the town
shoemaker.  And in the winter to keep warm they would wear heavy
coats and many layers of clothing.  My grandfather can remember
having blizzards every year.  He also remembers that the horses
pulled them to school in a covered sleigh.  The top was covered with
canvas and there was wheat straw on the floor.  The front window had
slots cut out for the driving reins.

The children needed something to keep them occupied so they would
go to movies or play games.  My grandfather’s best friend when he
was younger was Eddie Simonson.  When they got together, they
would usually play ball, but there never were any organized sport
teams.  In the yard of the farm there was a big swing that they played
on often.  My grandfather never was in any type of organization and
doesn’t remember attending a taffy pull.  He also never had a bike or
learned to swim.  One of his favorite hobbies though, was
woodworking.  He still has one of his very first projects.  It is a little
chest with very intricate detail such as hinges, a latch, and leather
strips used for decoration.

The Legreid children attended school at the Maddock School which
was a big building, not a one-room schoolhouse.  To get to school
they usually walked two and a half miles until finally they had buses to
ride.  But the family also owned a buggy and horses so sometimes
they rode that to school too.  My grandfather never needed help from
older students and got average grades.  His favorite subjects were
history and geography.  He had grown up speaking Norwegian and so
he also learned how to speak English at school.  He had learned to
enjoy coffee even as a young child and couldn’t go to school before
having a cup.

The family’s first car was a 1915 Ford.  My grandfather learned to
drive when he was fifteen years old.  In 1929 they got their first radio.
It was an Atwater-Kent. The person my grandfather remembers
admiring was Charles Lindburg.

In 1929 the stock market crashed and my great-grandfather sold his
big farm and had an auction sale.  Gunder’s health had been failing
for a while and after a family consultation the decision to sell the big
farm was made.  In the spring of 1930 they moved to the little farm.
The little farm was a dairy farm which was successful due to hard
work and total family involvement.

By the time World War II broke out my grandfather’s father was no
longer living.  His two older brothers served in the military but my
grandfather remained on the farm helping his mother.

Gunder died on Wednesday, April 14, 1937 at the age of 67 years,
one month, and eight days.  His wife Marie died on June 11, 1968 at
the age of 83.

                         Later Life

In 1944 Firemann was engaged to Mary Lois Dick whom he had met
in Maddock.  Mary Lois had graduated from Valley City State
Teacher’s College and had moved to Maddock to become a teacher.
They were married June 3, 1945.

The first few years that they were married they lived on the dairy farm.
Mary Lois continued to teach while Firemann worked on the farm.  He
milked the cows and delivered milk.  The milk was sold in glass
bottles which had to be washed by hand.  The milk was delivered
door to door by my grandfather.  He also delivered half pint bottles to
the schools.  Dairy farmers had to work day and night.

In 1949 my grandfather started Legreid Plumbing and Heating, and in
1950 they moved to a new house in Maddock.  With his business my
grandfather went to many different towns including Fessenden,
Minnewauken, Leeds, Devils Lake, Esmond, and others.  He
employed many people and was respected for his fine work and his
fair treatment of customers.  He even worked for free for those who
could not afford the service.

Firemann was also involved in many community organizations such
as Commercial Club, Kiwanis Club, Elks, Maddock County Club, and
Maddock Community Center.  He also served on the church council.
He retired in 1981, but was still very active in the community.  Now,
he and Mary Lois live in Bismarck.  He is involved in Sons of Norway,
Elks, Golden Kiwanis, Good Neighbor Club, and Wednesday morning
retirement breakfast club.

Firemann and Mary Lois have three children.  They are Harold Bruce,
born on June 4, 1947; Pamela Jean (Vukelic), born on July 19, 1951;
and Bradley Dick, born on April 8, 1956.  They have six grandchildren
who are Brent Legreid, Anna Legreid (Lindlief), Reed Vukelic,
Meredith Vukelic, J. Morgan Legreid, and Janell Legreid.

                         Traditions

Our Norwegian heritage continues to be an important element in our
family.  At holidays we make traditional Norwegian foods such as
lutefisk, krumkake, sandbakkels, lefse, rosettes, and fattigmand.  At
weddings and special birthdays we have the traditional kransakake,
which is a cake made of many rings, each one smaller than the last
and decorated with Norwegian flags.

At my home we have a Norwegian Christmas tree decorated with
woven heart baskets, straw ornaments, and Norwegian flags.  My
grandparents, parents, and uncles have visited Norway and some of
our Norwegian relatives have visited us.  We also celebrate
Norwegian independence day on the 17th of May.  My grandfather still
speaks Norwegian.

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