Edmund Dayton Light

ED AND WILHELMINA LIGHT Oliver County 1885-1985; Pages 815 - 816 Edmund Dayton Light was born at Dayton's Bluff near St. Paul, Minnesota. He moved with his father Casper Light to a farm near Morris, Minnesota, where he was reared.

He met Wilhelmina Lerch while visiting relatives in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. They were married April 11, 1890, at Bunker Hill, Pennsylvania, and went back to Morris where Ed farmed with his father until 1901. Six children were born to them there: Lester James, Ira Lerch, Elizabeth Kate, Roy Dayton, Boyd Clinton, and Theodore Roosevelt.

In 1901 Ed came to Oliver County and filed on a homestead near the present town of Center. He also rented a farm near Sanger.

The next spring, in 1902, he loaded his wife, six children, his farm horses, eight milk cows, household furniture, farm machinery, and a couple hives of bees into a railroad car and came to New Salem.

After unloading at New Salem and being short of money, he decided to move the herd out that evening. The two oldest boys started out across country and Ed followed with the load of household goods and the rest of the family. The result was that Mr. Light became lost and had a difficult time finding a place to get food for the family and himself. The boys had also become lost but had the courage to stay with the cattle.

The family had consumed all of their hundred dollars they started out with in moving to New Salem and then to Sanger, so the rest of the summer they owed their existence to the income from the dairy herd. After moving to Center, this dairy herd grew and supplied the needs of the family and the city of Center up to the year 1948.

The Light family spent the summer of 1902 and the following winter at Sanger. During this time they hauled lumber to Center and built their house on the Homestead. Here six more children were born: Kenneth Casper, Iva Beatrice, Gladys Wilhelmina, Oliver William, Pearl Daisy, and Bernice Edith.

One early spring day Ed took a load of wheat to Washburn. There was still a good sled road and he cross the Missouri River on the ice. After unloading the wheat, he started back but when he came to the river, he found there was water on top of the ice. He returned to Washburn and traded the sled for a wagon and went to Bismarck. There he put the team and waken on a flatcar and cross the river via railroad to Mandan. Not having telephones at that time, the family was unaware of what had happened to Ed until he arrived home three days later.

The following item was taken from the Center Republican July 14, 1927: "Sunday afternoon the Light Baseball team which constitutes the majority of the Center ballplayers defeated the remainder of their teammates here in a friendly contest. There were six Light boys opposing the remainder of the Center Ball Team.

The Lights lineup - Roy Light, Boyd Light, Ted Light, then Light, Oliver Light, Earl Light (a cousin) Art Trauger, Julius Boeck, and Wilber Lehmkuhl. The Center team lineup was Herman Richter, Clarence Scherr, Bill Ganten, C. Davorak, Burt Wilcox, John Linstad, and Ed Hagerott."

With so many in the family, there was always time for vacations as there were plenty to carry on with the farming and dairying while two or three went on vacations. Fishing was one of the sports enjoyed by all. Hunting was another sport that the entire family participated in. Many evenings have been spent reminiscing about the hunting and fishing trips.

Mrs. Ed Light died at home November 18, 1933. She was a person who was always ready to help a neighbor and lend a willing hand at church and other activities. She was a member of the Methodist Ladies Aid. She was a very busy lady cooking and preparing for her family.

Ed Light served many years on the school board and was a charter member of the Methodist Church of Center. He was also a charter member of the Center Band in which he played drums until shortly before his death on July 22, 1942.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Nov 1 2018, 1:44:22 UTC