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Bennie Morris Kaeding. Bennie was born at Penn, Ramsey County, North Dakota on 12 July 1902. Bennie was born on the family farm north of Penn, where he grew up. When his oldest brother, Edgar, married, he and his other brothers bought the Frank Gessner farm, one and a half miles south of Penn. This was on November 1, 1927. Bennie was involved in his community as an officer of the Penn School Board for 12 years, on the St. Paul's Church board for more than 25 years a 4-H leader for 2 years and manager of the Penn Telephone Company for 17 years. Bennie and Olga raised their 5 children on the farm and sent 4 of them to college. During the years the children were growing, the family traveled throughout the United States, almost always camping in a tent during the trips. Altogether, the family visited 34 states and visited Canada and Mexico during these years. Bennie also bought the Jim Doyle and the Kaiser farms. In June, 1959, the family house burned to the ground. With the help of all of the neighbors, all of the contents of the house were saved. A few days after the fire, the neighbors returned for a plowing bee and worked the summer fallow. Bennie began immediately rebuilding and by Christmas a new house was ready to move in. Altogether, Bennie raised 42 crops before he retired in the fall of 1967. After his retirement, he built a new home in Devils Lake and another house in Penn as a hobby. Bennie died June 28, 1995 in Devils Lake, North Dakota. |
