Overview & Story
Johannes (John) Pedersen Stadum represents the generation that brought the Stadum family across the Atlantic to settle in Benson County, North Dakota.
Johannes was born on November 12, 1876, in West Gran, Hadeland, Norway. According to the Petter Hanson Stadum Kinship Report, he was the son of Peder Pederson Norby (1835–1913), making him part of the family group that left Gran to farm in the Broe Township area of Benson County, North Dakota.
He married Gina Otilda Brorby (1881–1964). Together they raised four children on the prairie: Palmer Alvin (1909–1999), Ida Alice (1911–2003), Arthur John (1915–1990), and Julian Gilmore (1918–1985). Their farm in Benson County became the foundation of the family's life in America.
Johannes lived a long life, witnessing the transition of the prairie from early pioneer settlements to electrified modern farming. He died on October 8, 1967, in Minot, Ward, North Dakota, at the age of 90.