Peder Freng Biography


	This biography appears on pages 746-747 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. I (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	PEDER FRENG. - Norway has sent many of her sons to the new world 
and the northwest especially owes much of its substantial improvement 
and growth to this valuable class of our American citizenship, for they 
who come from the land of the midnight sun are industrious, energetic 
and frugal and honest people, whose value in the building up of this 
portion of the country is widely acknowledged. Mr. Freng was born in 
Norway on the 26th of April, 1846, and is a son of John and Bertha 
Freng, who spent their entire lives in their native land where his 
father always followed the occupation of farming. The subject was there 
reared and educated and then when twenty-three years of age he sought a 
home in the United States, crossing the Atlantic in 1869. He settled in 
Yankton county, South Dakota, and he has a brother who is now living 
near him. Locating upon his present farm, he now has one hundred and 
sixty acres of good land, on which he raises crops that he feeds 
annually to his stock. He is raising both cattle and Poland-China hogs 
and his sales bring to him a very creditable and gratifying income. He 
has planted all of the trees upon his farm and has made valuable 
improvements which constitute it one of the very desirable farm 
properties of the locality. Although he found that America afforded 
good advantages to its citizens, he also found that difficulties and 
trials were to be borne at times. He lived here when the grasshoppers 
destroyed all of the crops and was also bothered to a considerable 
extent with the crickets, which were so numerous that they in some 
localities stopped trains. His brother's property suffered because of 
the flood, though he saved most of his cattle by putting them on top of 
a shed. Mr. Freng has gained very desirable property since coming to 
America and now has a nice home, in the rear of which stands 
substantial barns and outbuildings and these in turn are surrounded by 
good fields or by pasture lands, wherein are fed many head of stock. He 
has planted an excellent orchard. including both cherry and apple 
trees, having two acres planted to fruit. He erected his home in 1890 
and also built large barns.  

	On the 6th of January, 1874, occurred the marriage of Mr. Freng 
and Miss Anna Freng. Her mother came to Yankton county and is still 
living in this locality, having attained the age of eighty-one years in 
April, 1903. The subject and his wife have six children: Mary, who is 
the wife of Matt Hanson; Bertha, the wife of Ole Bruget; Ida, who was 
educated in Yankton and is now a successful school teacher at 
Janesville; Emil, at home; and Karl and Clara, who are also with their 
parents. In his political views Mr. Freng is a Republican who has 
served as a school officer and as county commissioner. The cause of 
education finds in him a Very warm friend, for he realizes its 
importance as a preparation for life's practical duties. He belongs to 
the Lutheran church and in citizenship is very progressive, doing 
everything in his power to promote the material development of his 
community. Intelligent and enterprising, his labors have been effective 
and far-reaching for the benefit of the county and at the same time he 
has so directed his business efforts that he has become a leading 
representative of agricultural life in his adopted state.