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THE COOPERS
Barbara Cooper was born in the kingdom of Prussia in Germany. She married John Cooper and had one of three children, Regina, in 1842. At the age of 32, Barbara moved with her family to America in 1850. They lived in Galena, Illinois for two years before moving to Sugar Creek, Iowa, where Regina married Peter Lass. In 1872, the Coopers moved to Union County in Dakota territory where they homesteaded at Emmett township.
LAWRENCE FARLEY
In Ireland, the family name was reported to have been spelled "Farleigh," but was shortened to "Farley" after Lawrence's father moved to America. However,it has since been revealed that Lawrence's father's name was actually spelled "Laurence Farrelly" in some Irish records. American records spell Lawrence's father's first name as both "Lawrence" and "Laurence."
Lawrence's mother was reported to have died in the town of Waddam in Stephenson County, Illinois, where she was buried. However, her name and the exact location of her grave were unknown by descendants, who searched unsuccessfully for this grave. Since then, it has been revealed that the maiden name of Lawrence's mother was Mary Goff. Unfortunately, subsequent attempts to locate her grave have also proven unsuccessful; and as of this writing, there appear to be no records on the location of this grave. It is possible that the family could not have afforded a proper grave marker at the time and that they might have opted for a temporary marker which was ultimately never replaced. A temporary marker might have consisted of wood or even a simple boulder that was left to mark the spot.
Lawrence Farley arrived in the Beresford area in 1875 and married Elizabeth O'Connor in 1887. In 1880, his father, Lawrence, filed on Section 10 of Prairie Towship. Then, the younger Lawrence proved up on a homestead of his own in Prairie Township three miles east of Beresford in 1883.
Lawrence and Elizabeth Farley had eleven children, out of which nine reached adulthood.
PETER LASS
Peter Lass was born in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in 1836. In 1852, he came with an uncle to America and moved to Clinton county, Iowa. He worked on a farm there for board and clothing for three years, until striking out for himself at age 18 and hiring out as a farm laborer by the month. In 1862, he married Regina Cooper at Sugar Creek, Iowa.
The couple lived on a rented farm, until Peter Lass bought a piece of property in Jackson county, Iowa. The couple had six children. They remained there until moving to Dakota territory. In 1870, Peter Lass selected a homestead in Union County as a claim, then returned to Iowa. The following spring, Peter Lass and his family moved to the property, where he and his family continued to live for many years to come. During this time, the couple had an additional six children.
Peter and Regina's son, Peter Lass, married Mary "Mamie" McGuire. She passed away 12 days after the birth of her daughter, Mary. Afterwards, Peter married Katherine Kennedy in 1905.
JAMES AND BRIDGET O'CONNOR
James O'Connor was born in Limerick County, Ireland in 1818. He arrived in America as a boy. And after a stay in Rhoden, Quebec, he moved to Elizabethtown, Wisconsin. In 1848, James married Bridget Jennings, who was born in Kerry County, Ireland. The couple had eleven children.
In 1872, James and Bridget brought their children; Patrick, Michael, and Mary; from New Lisbon, Wisconsin to Emmett Township, Dakota Territory. Each filed for a quarter of land in the township and then built small shacks on the land to make improvement to fulfill the Homestead Act. Patrick and Michael farmed; while, Mary cooked, washed, and sewed.
When Patrick fell ill in 1874 and was no longer able to cultivate, James and Bridget brought the rest of the family down from New Lisbon, Wisconsin to Dakota Territory.
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