Hans A. Kvenvold 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 484-485

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

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HANS A. KVENVOLD is a prominent farmer of Lake county.  He resides on section 
24, LeRoy township.  Mr. Kvenvold was born near Christiania, Norway, in 1855, 
and is a son of Andrew and Olena (Johnson) Kvenvold, both natives of Norway, 
where the former was born in 1818 and the latter in 1827. Andrew Kvenvold, who 
married in 1853, died six years later in his native country.  Mrs. Kvenvold 
afterward remarried, Iver Kvenvold, a brother of Andrew, being her second 
husband. They came to this country in 1868, settling in Spring Grove, Minnesota.  
Two years later they removed to Winneshiek county, Iowa, where they remained 
until 1887.  In that year the family came to Lake county, where they still 
reside.  Hans came to Dakota in 1878, located a homestead and tree claim upon 
section 24 and 25, township 107, range 52, which is now in LeRoy township.  Mr. 
Kvenvold had little or nothing at the time that he arrived in South Dakota, but 
by industry, frugality and excellent management of his fine property he has 
become possessed of more than a competence already, yet bids fair to be one of 
the wealthy men of his county. There were few people in LeRoy township in the 
pioneer days, and neither railroads nor any of the other comforts and luxuries 
which now make life pleasant in many ways.  The early settlers paved the ways 
for all of these things, and, like other originators, had to suffer themselves.  
Mr. Kvenvold was one of the men who experienced the privations and hardships of 
the pioneer of the Dakotas and he deserves a goodly share of the credit which is 
due to the men who made, or organized, Lake county.  Mr. Kvenvold now owns some 
three hundred and twenty acres of land, nearly all of which is under 
cultivation.  A fine residence, surrounded by a four-acre grove of trees, 
occupies a prominent place upon the grounds, while all of the buildings, 
granaries, stables, etc., are large and of modern construction.  A deep well 
furnishes pure water throughout the year, and the entire farm is well arranged 
and equipped to. obtain the best results. Mr. Kvenvold has given little time to 
politics or kindred subjects, though he has held a number of local offices, and 
was the first clerk of his school district.  The last time he was elected as 
clerk he refused to qualify, considering that he had been honored sufficiently.  
He therefore requested the board to appoint some other citizen in his place.  
This is a remarkable spirit for a man to exhibit in these days of frantic 
office-seeking, but it gives an insight into one of the traits of Mr. Kvenvold's 
character.

In 1877 Mr. Kvenvold and Miss Paulina M. Peterson were married in Winneshiek 
county, Iowa.  Mrs. Kvenvold is a native of Norway, where she was born in 1854 
Her father, Peter Johnson, was born near Christiana, Norway, in 1800, and fifty-
one years later married Mary Jacobson, a widow. She was his second wife and the 
mother of Mrs. Kvenvold.  When Mr. Johnson was a young man his farm was sold, 
and he received a guarantee that he would be supported out of the profits of the 
property, in addition to the money in hand which was paid him for transferring 
it.  This curious custom of disposing of farm lands, and holding a lien upon 
them at the same time, is still very common in Norway.  Mrs. Kvenvold, who was 
the only child of her father's second marriage, came with her brother to America 
and made her home with him in Winneshiek county.  Mr. and Mrs. Kvenvold are the 
parents of seven children, all of whom are still at home. Their names and ages 
are: Albert M., nineteen; Ida O., seventeen; Peter J., fifteen; Henrietta M., 
twelve; Mary A., seven; Olga. M., three years old, and an infant.  Mr. Kvenvold 
is a member of the Lake Madison Lutheran Association, and has for several years 
been its secretary.