from "​Double Cousins" by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996

Ralph Hammersborg had asked his Mother’s cousins to write about their lives. The cousins stories are taken from "Double Cousins by Ralph Hammersborg, A Norwegian Family Chronicle, produced in 1996.” Birth dates of living relatives have been removed from the original text.

1924 - Eleanor Doris (Johnson) Ramsey
born June 26, 1924, died at age 95 on December 1, 2019 .
Daughter of Helmer & Alfrida Johnson

Written in 1996

Eleanor was the seventh child of Alfrida and Helmer. She was born on the farm south of Binford on June 26, 1924. She graduated from Binford High School in 1942, attended an eight-week summer session at Valley City State Reachers College, received an emergency teaching certificate, and began to teach in a rural school in the fall of 1942. On November 21, 1942, she married Eilert “Bud” Ramsey in McHenry, North Dakota. He was drafted into the Army and she continued teaching. In June of 1943, Eleanor went to Louisville, Kentucky, and lived while Bud was in radio school at Fort Knox. She came back in August and Bud went back to camp Beale, California, where he had been stationed. In November 1943, Eleanor road with friends to her brother, Johnnie, at Everett, with the intention of going to Camp Beale to live. In December, Bud was transferred to Camp Bowie in Texas, so Eleanor left before Christmas, stayed with a friend in southern Idaho over Christmas, after which she and friends left for Brownwood, Texas, to join their husbands. We arrived on December 31. In May 1944, Bud was shipped out on his way overseas, and Eleanor came back to North Dakota and began again to teach. Bud served in the ETO (European Theater of Operations), and was discharged in December of 1945. Eleanor was teaching in rural schools until 1949 when we were in a consolidated school where Eleanor taught grades 1 through 4 and Bud taught 5 through 8. We then decided to get an education, so we both entered Valley City State Teachers College from which we both graduated with a BS degree in May of 1954. Bud received a teaching fellowship to the University of Nebraska, and we lived in Lincoln, Nebraska until August of 1955. He did not complete his master's thesis, but we got anxious to work. We both got jobs in Waubun, Minnesota, Eleanor taught English and physical education and Bud taught biology and science. While there we decided to try to adopt children, and in June of 1958, we got identical twin boys. They are Terrence Dale and Neil Eugene. Eleanor then quit teaching. Bud received a better paying job in Devils Lake, North Dakota, in 1959 and continued teaching there until he retired in 1982. In 1960, we adopted a girl. We named her Dawn Elizabeth. Eleanor stayed home with the children until 1965 when she again attended summer school at Valley City to take library science classes to get enough credits to add library to her English and physical education and begin teaching that fall in Crary, North Dakota, a small town 15 miles east of Devils Lake. She taught two years there and for more pay move to Starkweather, about 25 miles north of Devils Lake.

Eleanor taught there for only one year because the kids didn't like her having to be away so many nights. She then stayed home for one year, got tired of being home alone, so applied for and got a job as a catalog manager at Montgomery Wards in Devils Lake. That was better as it was only five blocks from home and her kids could be there with her when they were out of school. She worked there until 1976 when a teaching job again opened up at Crary. Since it was in the best interest of the family, she took the job and stayed there until she retired in 1986. In the summer of 1986, she and Bud bought a house in Cooperstown and moved. We enjoyed coming home again. In October of 1992, Bud died of cancer.

Neil married Luann Steffen in Devils Lake in 1977 and had two children, Jarrod and Erin who now live with their mother in Devils Lake. They are divorced. Neil later joined the US customs and is stationed in Brownsville, Texas. He married Juany Pizana in 1990. They have a son Zachary. Juany has a daughter, Selene.

Terry married Valerie Harrington. They have a son, Spencer. Terry has been in law enforcement most of his adult life, the last years with Florida corrections in Tampa. In October 1994, he and Spencer moved to Cooperstown and are living with mother while Terry attends Valley City State College and Spencer goes to school here in Cooperstown. Valerie is living in Tampa where she works with Florida corrections until she gets her retirement built up. Her mother and her daughter, Jennifer, live in Tampa.

Dawn married Dean Lommen in 1980. She has been working at a bank and Dean is a mason working at the University of North Dakota. They live in East Grand Forks. Dawn recently quit her job at the bank due to cutbacks and is now working part-time at the University of North Dakota and plans to take some courses there. They have three daughters: Lindsey, Daria, and Annika.

Eleanor and Bud and family camped in a 9x18 canvas tent in North Dakota and around over half of the US from 1962 until the family was in high school. We have gone from Washington D.C. to Washington state and south to across Texas from east to west and, as far southeast as Atlanta. We have a summer place in the townsite of Mose, North Dakota, where I was teaching when Bud came home from Europe, and have kept it up so we can be there when we wish in the summer. That was one of the advantages of teaching. Now Eleanor helps the church to make quilts for Lutheran World Relief and makes quilts for her family. She still gardens and cans and freezes vegetables, and tried to keep up with her flower beds.

Eleanor and Bud have flown to Tampa to see Terry and to Brownsville to see Neil. Since Bud's death, Eleanor has flown to Tampa and twice to Brownsville. Eleanor is well with only minor arthritis aches and pains.

Mose

The Northern Pacific Railroad came through in 1899 and the town of Mose came into existence. It was called Lewis from the beginning but was later changed to Mose. It was named after MORRIS (MOSE) GREENLAND who was one of the first businessmen there. It was considered to call it Florence at one time, as FLORENCE PHIPPS was the first child born there.

K. Thompson is believed to have built the first store building, but Olaf Johnson and Carl Hagman probably took over shortly afterwards. They were there until about 1911 when Hans Aarestad bought them out. Mose was a good little town at that time having two elevators, a lumberyard, blacksmith shop, hardware store and a general merchandise store. It also had a post office, livery barn and a Hotel -Restaurant.

Henry Peterson took over the store in 1913 and called it the Mose Mercantile. In 1917 or 1918 B. C. Week bought him out, He operated the store until the late 30's when Grant Peterson took over.

In the evening of July 12, 1943 a terrible wind storm swept across this part of the state blowing down barns, trees and doing damage to other buildings. The elevators and the store building were badly damaged. The contents of the store were moved to another building, and the elevators were torn down shortly afterwards. After the elevators were gone there was not enough business for the store either, so that too was soon discontinued.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 page 244

Grigggs County Historical Society

Mose Nareon Church

The Nareon Lutheran Congregation was organized by Pastor E. T. Silness of the Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church. The meeting was held on the 25th day of August, 1901 at the J. D. Barclay home. There were eleven charter members, as follows:

J. D. Johnson, Anton A. Falla, Christian Leir, A. P. Ramsey, John A. Carlson, J. D. Barclay, Andrew N. Overby, Anton T. Falla, Adolph Carlson, M. C. Leir and Hans Dyrdal.

In the early years Reverend Dybvig served the congregation for funerals, baptisms and occasional services, which were held in homes or in the schoolhouse.

In 1932 a church was moved in from the S. R. KLEIN farm in Section 20, Bryan. The Reverends Wangen, Ordahl, Overgaard and Borlaug served the congregation until it was dissolved in November 1958. The few members left joined with Trinity in Binford or Our Savior's at McHenry.

A cemetery association was then organized, and the church was later sold and torn down.

Source: Griggs County History 1879 - 1976 page 244

Note: Bud & Eleanor are buried in the Nareon Cemetery.

Johnson Family (home) - Kinstories (home) - Susag Family - Flatau Family - Beckman Family
Granquist Family - Anderson Family - Stout Family - Walker Family - Peterson Family - Morris Family - Cauble Family