Almont North Dakota
1906 Centennial 2006
Nyquist Family History
The information and photos on this Section was submitted by Audrey Henke, daughter of Mimi (Nyquist) Hoger.
Nyquist Family General History
Mr. and Mrs. William Nyquist
by Ingeborg Nyquist Trovik.
William O. Nyquist was born in Lulio, Sweden
1878 and came to the United States with his parents in 1892. They settled
in Isabella, Michigan. After growing to manhood he worked in logging camps
for several years. Mrs. Nyquist, nee Anna Maria Lang was born near Randers,
Denmark in 1881 and came to Escanabe, Mich. in 1902 where a brother was
living. She and William Nyquist were married in Oct. 1903. Mr. was a carpenter
and for several years was engaged in building houses for the Bay De Noc
Lumber Co. in Nahma, Mich. a town five miles from Isabella near Lake Michigan.
They also owned and operated a small farm. Five children were born to this
union, three daughters and two sons, one daughter died at the age of three
and a son in infancy.
They lived in Isabella until the summer of
1918 when the family moved to a farm south of Almont. In 1920 they moved
into the town of Almont where Mr. Nyquist opened a shoe repair shop and
cream station. He died in the fall of 1922 after a year’s illness.
In May 1923 Mrs. Nyquist purchased a house owned by Miles Adams, one of
the earlier homes in Almont. She continued to operate the cream station
for the North American Creamery Co. for several years and also did practical
nursing.
In May 1926 she took over the Northwestern
Bell Telephone Exchange which at that time was housed in the Farmers State
Bank. The switchboard was moved to her home. Her hours were long; from 7:00
A.M. to 9:00 P.M. She also took emergency calls outside of regular hours.
She was assisted by her son and daughters when they were at home. As time
passed three rural lines were added and a larger switchboard was installed
but still manually operated. She operated this exchange for seventeen years.
Ingeborg graduated in 1926 and taught school
for five years before marrying Fritjof Trovik in May 1931. (Editors note:
They had one daughter, Gwen. Ingeborg taught for many years in the Almont
schools and Fritz operated a trucking business.)
Mimi graduated in 1927, she taught in the
Judson area that fall, where she met Oscar Hoger. He was operating his parents
farm. They were married in Mandan in August 1928. His parents moved into
New Salem that fall. Oscar and Mimi became owners of what was his parents
homestead, each having filed on a quarter of land when they came here from
Germany.
Oscar and Mimi had two children, a daughter,
Audrey and a son Glyn, who both attended their rural school and graduated
from New Salem High School. She taught school for two years, then married
Kenneth Henke in June 1949. They reside on his parents farm northeast of
Hannover. They have two daughters and three sons; Mrs. Charles Cartwright,
(Valerie) who live in Washington, Mrs. John Lambrecht, (Vicki)in Detroit,
Mich., Ross and his wife in St. Louis, Mo., Randy and Rickyt at home, Randy
has gone into dairying on the home farm, Ricky is a junior in Center high
school.
Glyn was in the service for two years in
Germany coming home in May 1958. He went into a dairy partnership with his
father which they operated together for several years, he now owns it and
has enlarged it. He married Nancy Smith of Hankinson in 1960. They have
three children, Kim, a student at Mary College, Scott, a sophomore in high
school and Susan a third grader.
Oscar and Mimi continued to live on the farm and be actively engaged
in its operation. They moved into New Salem in 1975, but Oscar still
spent much time on the farm, they also kept up their farm home. They
were active members of Zion Lutheran Church, where they celebrated their
fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1978. Oscar had many friends, who with
his devoted family deeply mourned his sudden death in Dec 1979. Mimi
continues to live in New Salem and is active in the church, the Judson
Homemakers Club of which she has been a member since 1937 and in teaching
classes in 4-H
Henry graduated from (Almont) high school
in 1930, he did carpenter work and operated a small shop (in Almont) for
some time. He was inducted into the Air Force in early 1942, and was stationed
at Lowry Field, near Denver, Colo. before being transferred to Spokane,
Wash in 1943. He married Eleanor Schwartz of New Salem in April 1942. She
died in Oct. 1943 when twin daughters were born to them in Spokane. He was
later transferred to Sioux City, where he was discharged from the service
in 1945. He continued to live in Sioux City for several years where he operated
a cabinet shop. He also remarried there and they had one daughter, Gretchen
who continues to live in Sioux City, where she has a managerial position
in a hospital.
Henry’s mother (Anna) went to Spokane
and brought the twins, Adelaide and Eleanor home with her and cared for
them until they were five and a half, then she took them to Sioux City.
Adelaide is a registered nurse and has worked for several years in the university
hospital in Iowa City, her Alma Mater. She has also attended the University
there pursuing a Doctorate degree in Art History and has done some teaching
in this field. She did some of her research for this degree in Europe. She
continues to live and work in Iowa City.
Eleanor attended more than one college, then she taught in Oneonta,
New York for a few years before going to the University of Kansas, at
Lawrence to complete her work for a Doctorate degree in Speech, Drama
and Costuming. She did some of the research work for this degree in
Europe, primarily in Sweden. While at Lawrence she met and married Dr.
Bobby Patton, who heads up the Speech department of the university and
is the author of several books.
Henry and his wife moved to Colorado in the
sixties where he was employed at the Butler Manufacturing Co. in Denver.
Because of a serious illness resulting in failing health he was forced to
retire in 1972. He died in Sept. 1978. His wife continues to reside in Colorado.
Mrs. Anna Nyquist is a faithful and active member of the Wesleyan church
also served the community in many unselfish ways. She disposed of her
home in 1958 and lived with her daughter Ingeborg. She passed away in
Nov. 2967 at the age of 86.
Letter to community regarding Nyquist Cream Station
JUNE 7, 1924
To Cream Producers.
Mrs Anna Nyquist, operating our station for us in your town, is continually
working for the improvement of market conditions, with your interests
at heart. She is handicapped, for reasons well known to you. We
trust that you have appreciated her efforts and her earnest desire
to continue the battle for existence by giving her your business.
We feel that we have in the few yhears that we have been espablished in your town, proven to you that our business principles are most liberal, and that we see to it that the price for cream at Almont is as high as it is elsewhere. We feel thgat the p[rice we maintain nets yhou ass much money in twleve months of the year as you can possibly get marketing you cream elsewhere.
Mrs Nyquist is very efficient in her work, and capable of completing the handling of each dleivery of cream from you in such a way that when you receive your check you can feel confident that you are paid for the actual fat content of your delivery of cream.
Competition may come and go, but if you can see fit to patronize ouor station, you will find Mrs. Nyquist will stay with you indefinitely, thereby assuring you of the continuance of a good, liberal market.
If there is anything about the operation of this station
that is not entirely satisfactory to you, report it to Mrs. Nyquist,
or if you desire, write direct to us. Your letters will receive prompt
attention.
Yours very truly,
THE NORTH AMERICAN CREAMERY COMPANY.
Paying a Debt
O.C. Ellingson owened
a grocery store in Almont. They then moved to Bismarck in the early
1920’s. Grandma Nyquist had a bill at the Ellingson store of $160.00
that wasn’t paid when he moved to Bismarck.
My grandma worried about it and saved a long
time to pay the bill. Anna Nyquist asked her son-in-law Oscar Hoger to take
her to Shark’s Men’s Store in Bismarck so she couold pay the
bill. She told Mr. Ellingson she came to pay the bill. Mr. Ellingson didn’t
remember she owed him. He took Grandma Nyquist hand and with tears running
down his face, and said “I didn’t know there were such honest
people”.
To Almont
There’s a quaint little village, far out on the hill
It’s not bedecked with any of fancy or frill
The growth has been slow and always of toil
And all that is gained is wrested from soil.
The streets are plain dirt and it boasts no Times Square
But there is an air of peace and hospitality there.
No skyscrapers are seen and the buildings are old and gray
But they always shelter a weary traveler on the way.
The natives are just plain common folk
And as to a wheel each man is a spoke.
Shopkeepers live on the profit of honest gain
Laborers, through toil their existence claim.
No marbled halls nor splendors do they aspire
Nor dream that their village will be the first city of any empire.
So even though they seek not for fortune and fame
They still know they have a definite place on the plain.
By Henry Nyquist,
Written as a tribute to Almont by one of her sons.