Hesse Dakota Homestead

Franklin Hesse (1861-1935) lost his parents at an early age. Seeking opportunity, he filed a homestead claim for land in Dakota Territory (D.T.) under the provisions of the 1862 Homestead Act. The Act granted surveyed public land to adult heads of families for a minimal filing fee. Each applicant needed to be a citizen or promise to become one. After five years of continuous residence on the land, the claim could be “proved.” The National Archives in Washington, D.C. stores the original Land Entry Case files.

In April 2022, I held the packet of papers for file #3941 in my hand. I called it Christmas at the Archives.

When did Franklin move to Dakota Territory?

When researching family history, I look out for new clues and new information. This Land Entry Case file provided primary evidence for Franklin’s exact move to Dakota.

In my previous post about Franklin Hesse, I posited that he “filed a homestead claim in about 1881.” With the information provided on page two of the Testimony of Claimant, I am certain that Franklin claimed his Dakota homestead in 1881.

Timeline

The Testimony of Claimant provided a chronology Franklin’s activities:

Condition of the Homestead in 1888

In Franklin’s 4-page testimony, he provides details of his buildings, farm, crops and family. As of May 14, 1888, he had:

• A wife and two children [Arthur and Franklin].
• A frame house: 20 x 26 x 8. The exterior of which was boarded, papered and sided; the roof was shingled. Inside, the walls were lathed, plastered and painted. There were 7 windows, 7 doors and 4 rooms. Valued at $500.
• A frame barn: 26 x 32 feet. Valued at $100.
• A frame granary: 12 x 16 feet. Valued at $50.
• A well, 40 feet deep, constructed with concrete and lumber. Valued at $100.
• 80 acres under cultivation. Valued at $400.

The household furnishings, farm equipment, livestock and crops are listed in the testimony also.

• 2 beds and bedding, 1 bureau, 2 stands,
• a table, chairs, lounge,
• 2 stoves,
• “the necessary cooking utensils,”
• a binder, a seeder,
• a drag harrow cultivator,
• a wagon, a plow,
• 5 cows,
• 3 horses and a pony,
• 4 two-year-old cattle, 5 yearlings, 2 calves,
• 4 pigs,
• 40 chickens,
• Turnips, 5 acres,
• Oats, 5 acres/200 bushels,
• Wheat, 60 acres/900 bushels,
• Barley, 7 acres/165 bushels.

Where was the homestead?

The original homestead claim contained 160 acres. All of the land was within Grand Rapids Township, LaMoure County, Dakota Territory. (North Dakota became a state November 2, 1889.) The description of the homestead was in three parts, all within Section 34 of the township:

• the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter (40 acres)
• the north half of the southeast quarter (80 acres)
• the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter (40 acres)

In this 1913 plat map of Grand Rapids Township in LaMoure County, North Dakota,²Ogle, George. Standard Atlas of La Moure County, North Dakota. Ogle & Co: Chicago, 1913. Plat of Grand Rapids Township, page 28 Franklin Hesse’s farm is at the southern edge. In under 40 years, he enlarged the farm to encompass over 570 acres!

Courtesy of Digital Horizons (North Dakota Atlases and Plat Books Collection, ND State Library)

The Atlas has a Patron’s Reference Directory. On page 54:

Hesse, Frank, Farmer, Dairyman and Breeder Hereford Cattle, S.[Section] 34, T. [Township] Grand Rapids, P.O. Box LaMoure. 1882. [length of time the party resided in the county]

“Fairview”
photo in the Standard Atlas of La Moure County, North Dakota, 1913, pg. 79
Courtesy of Digital Horizons (North Dakota Atlases and Plat Books Collection, ND State Library)
The children pictured are likely: Herb, Gladys, Laura and Ted

Further Research Ideas

On whose farm did Franklin work before homesteading?
What do we know about Franklin’s wife, Caroline Krull?
Do you have an original copy of the 1913 house photo?
Are there more photos of the farm?
How did Franklin and Caroline’s daughter, Carrie, meet her future husband, Ed Gentzkow?
Where did Franklin’s sister and brother-in-law, Carrie and John Freberger, live?