Erick Walfred Cedergren was born in Sundsvall, Vaster Norrlands Lan, Sweden, on July 11, 1872 to Anna Marta (Jonsdatter)1841 and Hans Olaf Cedergren born in 1835. He had three siblings, Johanna, Frans Gustav, and John Hjalmer. Walter's father died when he was three years old and his brother, John, died the following year, at the age of one. Walter immigrated alone to Gladstone, Michigan on August 8, 1891, where he worked in the lumber camps. He later moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota in 1895. He married Anna Sofia Anderson in Albert Lea on November 17, 1899. They had three daughters, Verna, Edlyn and Alice. They lived in Audubon, MN, and then moved to Coleharbor, ND, where families were migrating to McLean County to take advantage of the free land. Walter and Annie bought a relinquishment on a homestead and during the winter of 1907-1908, Walter cut timber and had it milled. They loaded the lumber, furniture, livestock and farm equipment into a boxcar, destination Coleharbor. Shortly, before the house was completed a hail storm came and broke all of the windows and destroyed the crops. Walter spent the rest of the summer and fall working with a threshing crew in the Velva area for cash to tide over for the winter. All of his daughters went to a one room school house and were educated in the Coleharbor, ND, area. Walter served on the school board, township and election board. He was a director of the Farmers Mercantile Company of Garrison and a director of the Farmers Independent Publishing Company. On March 26, 1928, Annie died in a car accident. On May 12, 1928, only weeks later Alice died of an appendix rupture. Walter moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he died in 1938, and his body was brought back to North Dakota to be buried near his wife, Annie.
Erick Walfred Cedergren was born in Sundsvall, Vaster Norrlands Lan, Sweden, on July 11, 1872 to Anna Marta (Jonsdatter)1841 and Hans Olaf Cedergren born in 1835. He had three siblings, Johanna, Frans Gustav, and John Hjalmer. Walter's father died when he was three years old and his brother, John, died the following year, at the age of one. Walter immigrated alone to Gladstone, Michigan on August 8, 1891, where he worked in the lumber camps. He later moved to Albert Lea, Minnesota in 1895. He married Anna Sofia Anderson in Albert Lea on November 17, 1899. They had three daughters, Verna, Edlyn and Alice. They lived in Audubon, MN, and then moved to Coleharbor, ND, where families were migrating to McLean County to take advantage of the free land. Walter and Annie bought a relinquishment on a homestead and during the winter of 1907-1908, Walter cut timber and had it milled. They loaded the lumber, furniture, livestock and farm equipment into a boxcar, destination Coleharbor. Shortly, before the house was completed a hail storm came and broke all of the windows and destroyed the crops. Walter spent the rest of the summer and fall working with a threshing crew in the Velva area for cash to tide over for the winter. All of his daughters went to a one room school house and were educated in the Coleharbor, ND, area. Walter served on the school board, township and election board. He was a director of the Farmers Mercantile Company of Garrison and a director of the Farmers Independent Publishing Company. On March 26, 1928, Annie died in a car accident. On May 12, 1928, only weeks later Alice died of an appendix rupture. Walter moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he died in 1938, and his body was brought back to North Dakota to be buried near his wife, Annie.
