Hans Christofferson Biography

	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. 
	Ogle & Co., Chicago, 1898. Pages 489-490

	Scan, OCR and editing by Joy Fisher, jfisher@sdgenweb.com, 1999.

	This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit 
	organizations for their private use. 

	Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval 
	system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other 
	means requires the written approval of the file's author.

	This file is part of the SDGENWEB Archives. If you arrived here inside
	a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at

	http://usgwarchives.org/sd/sdfiles.htm

HANS CHRISTOFFERSON, an influential citizen of Brookings township, Brookings 
county, has not only been a successful and useful farmer but has exerted a 
marked influence in promoting the moral and spiritual welfare of the community. 
He was born near Christiana, Norway, August 12, 1838, a son of Ole and Elizabeth 
(Heuensdaughter) Christofferson.  The father was a housebuilder, constructing 
log houses, and lived and died in his native land.

Our subject grew to maturity in Norway, where he was engaged in farming and 
cabinet making until i868, when he moved to America, locating in Chicago, where 
he resided ten years, working at his trade.  He then went to Lac qui Parle 
county, Minnesota, where he lived on a farm and also worked at carpentering.  In 
the fall of 1878 he came to Brookings county and took a homestead claim of 
eighty acres, on section 13, Brookings township, and drew two thousand feet of 
lumber from Canby, Minnesota, with which he built a cabin 14 x 16 feet and 
covered it with sods. In this humble home he lived about eight years while he 
improved and developed his farm, which proved to be one of the best in Brookings 
county.  Mr. Christofferson is now the fortunate owner of two hundred and forty 
acres of farm land in Brookings township, which he has developed into a high 
state of cultivation and has supplied it with a commodious and comfortable 
residence, outbuildings and such home comforts as make life enjoyable.  Mr. 
Christofferson first visited Brookings county in 1876, two years before making 
his home there, following an Indian trail across the county.  The country was 
then entirely unsettled and in driving fifty miles he did not see a single white 
man. The first house in the village of Brookings was moved there on rollers from 
Fountain in 1878, about one month after he located in the county.

In June, 1863, our subject was married to Miss Gorine Olsen, a native of 
Christiana, Norway, and their wedded life has been blessed to them by the advent 
of seven children, three of whom are still living: Carl Martin, a photographer 
at Adams, Minnesota; Clara Louise, wife of Albert Mark, Brookings; and Gena.  
The family is connected with the United Norwegian church of Brookings.  From the 
age of seventeen Mr. Christofferson has taken a great interest in the work of 
the church and did much missionary work while in Chicago and Minnesota. After 
coming to Brookings county he has held services at different points throughout 
the county and preached the first Lutheran sermon in the city of Brookings.  He 
still holds services regularly once in two weeks besides often holding special 
meetings.  Mr. Christofferson has been very zealous and energetic, in this work 
and although he has at times been obliged to go through water knee deep he has 
been prompt in meeting his appointments, and has conducted these services and 
lived each day in a manner that has started a wave of influence in the ocean of 
time that shall continue to roll when Mr. Christofferson shall have quit the 
shores of time to try the realities of the spirit land.

Politically our subject is a Republican and has always taken an active interest 
in local politics and educational matters.  For, many years he has been chairman 
of the school board, and has long been a member of the board of supervisors of 
which he has been two years chairman.