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Benson County North Dakota Genealogy

Irvine Township North Dakota
Township 156 North Range 67 West

History of Irvine Township

Taken from Leeds/York Seventy-five Years Diamond Jubilee 1886-1961 book

Irvine township lies in the northeast corner of Benson County and was named after Irvine Church, who was the first settler in the Churchs Ferry area, and who was the first clerk of Irvine school township. The township was organized in 1900 and the first township meeting was held that same year. The first supervisors were C.A.Studley, Theodore Hansen, and A.W. Wagner, A.E. Sylvester was clerk and Jacob Brehm was treasurer.

The history of Irvine township begins with the arrival of its first settlers in 1883. In that year George Barber, Jacob Brehm, and Tom Engelhorn homesteaded in this new and unsettled land. The following year in 1884, several more settlers came, among them were Henry Barensheer Sr., Henry Barensheer Jr., and John Ritteman. In 1885, W.A. Hausmann arrived. In 1886, Pete Christiansen, H.D. Murray, A.E. Sylvester, and A.W. Wagner also began making their homes here. In 1887, Halvor Bergei, Louis Engelhorn, Frank Hillerman, and Julius Ingebretson arrived. Louis Baeverstad, Theordore Hansen, and Norman Nelson came in 18889. Other settlers who came on or before 1892 were Sweitzer, John and Bill Cashhman, David Cowan, Con Davis, Robert Dulmage, Tollef Haugan, George Martin, Charles Nelson, Joe Olson, J.W. Olson, Charles Studley, George Tobin, and Emil Weirmuller.

The first child born in the township was Kate Brehm (Mrs. Arne Nelson), born in 1887, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Brehm.

Unlike many communities that were settled by  pioneers from one country, Irvine was settled by emigrants of many different nationalities; there were Danes, Norwegians, Swedes, English, Scotch, Irish, and Germans, who worked together in friendly cooperation to build a thriving and prosperous community.

Irvine Schools

Irvine was organized into a school township on January 21, 1885. This area included not only Irvine, but territory east of Irvine township, too. The members of the first school board were Irvine Church, clerk; and A.J. Kildahl and R.J. Walker, directors. The first teacher was Mathilde Kildahl, who taught for a salary of $33.33 per month. Her term began on June 1, 1885 and ended August 8, 1885. Flora Casman (Mrs. John Harvey) taught in 1888 for a term of four months and in 1889 she taught from Sept 28 until Nov 2. Tillie Oleson (Mrs. A.J. Wirtz) taught here four years, her first term beginning in 1891.

Ritterman School 1913
Teacher: Miss Burnell

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