1 Hartje/Pembina County, North Dakota, Early 1900's

Today's post is about Alfred William Hartje, the grandfather of my husband, Lloyd.  This is the only photo we have of Alfred.

Alfred William Hartje
24 Aug1896-11 May 1969

I've written to North Dakota vital records to see if they have his birth certificate but haven't heard back yet.  So far with my relatives of that age it has been a bust.  Many states didn't require birth certificates at that time.  I did find him at three years of age in the 1900 Census in Park Township, Pembina County, North Dakota1.

1928 outline map of Pembina County, North Dakota2

Park Township is in the lower left corner above Crystal and right next to Thingvala.  Pembina County is as far north as you can get, it borders Canada and Minnesota.  Northern Dakota had a boom in population between 1879-1886.  Over 100,000 people entered the Dakota territory.  A second boom after 1905 increased the population from 190,983 in 1890 to 646,872 by 1920.  Many of the immigrants were of Scandinavian or Germanic origin.  There was also a strong Scotch-Irish-English community who were especially influential in business and politics.  By 1915 over 79% of all North Dakotans were either immigrants or children of immigrants.4

Pembina County was an organized county of Minnesota Territory from 1849-1858.  From 1858-1861 it was unorganized.  It became part of Dakota Territory in 1861.  Which is useful when looking for a Census during this time period.

Many of the earliest immigrants were French, they migrated from Canada in the 1800's.  The French intermarried with the native peoples forming a new culture, called the Metis.  The Metis culture was strong in Manitoba as well.  In North Dakota the Red River Carts were symbols of Metis ingenuity and sturdy determination.  Their carts were ideal for the conditions of the time.  They had no metal parts and very high wheels to make it easier to travel through mud, brush and streams.  They were pulled by oxen and could carry up to 900 pounds of furs and meat from the hunt. 3 They traveled to Canada and St Paul, Minnesota to sell the furs and bring back supplies on their return trip.  I found this photo of a Red River Cart on a blog called story brooke ripples.  It has an interesting story about how the oxen came to be used for the carts.

Red River Cart5

Of course the original inhabitants of North Dakota were Native American.  I don't feel I can adequately tell this story and do it the justice it deserves.  This area has a history dating back over 9,000 years.  Wikipedia 6 has a very condensed version or the State Historical site of North Dakota has a more informed version.

I guess what I am trying to say is, this area is very complex and constructed from many cultures.  At the time Alfred was born, North Dakota was hitting a peak population.  In 1900 the population of Pembina County was 17,869.  The Census of 2010 has the population at 7,413.

Farming has been the backbone of the area.  Alfred's father, Peter, is listed as a farmer in the 1900 census.  He was renting his property, he was born in North Dakota, is 32 years of age, and has been married for 10 years.  His wife is Amelia, she is 40 years old, she was previously married and has had 10 children, six are still living.  Amelia was born in Germany.

Alfred has a step-brother, George and a step-sister Gustie living with him on the farm.  George is 11 and Gustie is 17, they were both born in Germany. Emma is the oldest of Alfred's full siblings, she is 9.  John is Alfred's older brother at 7 years of age. And last but not least is Alfred at the tender age of 3.

1900 U.S. Federal Census1

This is the beginning of the Hartje story in North Dakota.  Life in the Red River Valley of Pembina County was not always easy.  The weather was harsh much of the year and the people were hard working survivors.

Happy Discoveries to you from one Ancestral Explorer to another,
Janet

Sources:
1.  Alfred Hartje, 1900 U.S., Federal Census, Park, Pembina, North Dakota; Page 10, Line 50; Enumeration District 0109; FH microfilm; 1241230, Ancestry.com online, 2004.
2.  Brock & Company.  Standard atlas of Pembina County, North Dakota:  including a plat book of the villages, cities and townships of the county, map of the state, United States and the world:  patrons directory, reference business directory and departments devoted to general information, analysis of the system of U.S. land surveys, digest of the system of civil government, etc.etc.  Chicago: Brock & Co, 1928. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/2007626719/.
3.  History of Pembina County, sites.rootsweb.com/~ndpembin/html/history.htm.
4.  American Settlement-Summary of North Dakota History-State Historical Society of North Dakota, history.nd.gov/ndhistory/settlement.html.
5.  storybrookeripples.blogspot.com/2010/08/from-where-red-river-ox.html.
6.  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pembina_County,_North_Dakota.
7.  Pembina State Museum - History - State Historical Society of North Dakota, history.nd.gov/historicsites/pembina/pembinahistory2.html.