Marie Hanson was born Marit Hansdatter, daughter of Hans Olson and Marit Svensdatter on a dairy farm in Vaga Norway. Her mother died when she was seven and the entire family of six children emigrated to North Dakota over the next ten years.
      She and her sister Anna came on a boat from Oslo to Boston and thence to North Dakota. She went to school and probably worked at a private home for awhile and then homesteaded a quartersection in northwestern ND, near the town of Mohall.
      After the five years she "converted to a cash entry". I believe that after some laws were changed in 1906, she was afraid they would take it away from her. In 1901 she had signed a paper saying she was free, white and 21. She was only 19.
      It is family stories that say that she met Daniel Dills in Dunseith. It is said that he was already engaged to "Rosie". Marie was attracted to him and probably he to her. Her sister Sophie tried to capitalize on this and tried to arrange some confrontations that would be embarrassing. These stories will be recounted elsewhere.
      She married Daniel in Minneapolis in 1912.