Winsness ND
From the book on Jens and Emma:
Jens and Emma acquired their North Dakota farm in three distinct phases.
On Aug. 2, 1895, President Grover Cleveland deeded the SW quadrant of Section 24 from the United States to one Anna Dwyer, a single woman. On Leap Year, 1916—a date that seems both appropriate and propitious—Anna Dwyer sold this quadrant to Jens Winsnes (on the February 29 bill of sale the surname ends in one s) for consideration of $6,000. The purchase agreement charged Jens 6% interest and required him to pay $1,500.00 upon execution of the contract, then $500 on each first day of March from 1917 to 1925. As noted earlier, this was the first land Jens owned in America; he bought it eleven years after immigrating to this country and four years after marrying Emma. Jens and Emma actually lived on the land they rented from Goss but owned land one mile north of their home. (See map, page 53.)
On Dec. 19, 1888, President Benjamin Harrison had deeded a half section of land in Section 25 from the United States to Lambert M. Hardy. (See map, page 53.) John Goss purchased this land from Hardy in 1907. Jens bought this half section from Goss, in turn, on May 2, 1944; it was the site of the farmhouse in which Jens and Emma had been living. This farmhouse had earlier been known as the Kiner Post Office and had served as a pony express stop.
On Sept. 9, 1895, President Grover Cleveland had deeded a half section of land in Section 26 to John Goss. Jens and Emma purchased this half section from Goss on Feb. 27, 1952. (See map, page 53.)
The map below includes outlines of the portions of land owned by Jens Emma at the time of their death.
The white squares are 1 mile on each side, therefore, the farm extended for 2 miles east to west and 1/2 mile north of that line, with a deviation on the east end where some farmland to the north was traded for some pasture land on the east.
The separate 1/2 mile square portion at the top of the image was the land purchased on Feb. 29, 1916.
That is the first land owned in the United States by the Winsness family.
