Raymond T. Hanson (Bessie Vondra)

from Hyde Heritage, copyright 1977, page 228

Raymond T. Hanson

by Howard Hanson (nephew)

Ray Hanson was born September 16, 1890 in Richland County, Wisconsin to Nels and Thea Hanson. He was the oldest son in a family of  14 children. The family came to Seneca, South Dakota in March 1907. Ray worked with his father in North Dakota, Iowa and Washington in his younger years.

He entered the U.S. Army in October 1917 and was in the 340th Field Artillery as a Private First Class. He was in all the major offenses against the Germany Army and was in the Army of Occupation of Germany and was discharged from the army June 4, 1919.

Ray entered a partnership with his brother Schuyler in February 1921. They established headquarters in Union Township, Hyde County. They farmed and raised cattle. In the fall of 1920's they bought horses, broke them in the winter and shipped them to the eastern states by the carload or several carloads. There usually were 18 head of draft horses to a carload.

Ray married Bessie Vondra June 29, 1927. They made their first home in Illinois Township. Bessie

was born in Union Township in a sod house to John and Mary Vondra, early settlers of Union Township. Bessie taught school in rural Hyde County a few years after their marriage. She had taught in Faulk and Hughes counties before marriage.

Ray continued his partnership with his brother, established one of the best commercial herds of Hereford cattle in the nation. Ray moved to Franklin Township in the spring of 1933. In 1941, Ray sold his interest in the partnership, cattle and machinery to his brother and his brother's sons in the spring of 1943. Ray and Bessie moved to Huron that same year where he operated a feed lot until 1949. They then moved to Rapid City and worked in construction part time until 1956 when he and his wife returned to the ranch in Union Township and again ranched in partnership with his nephew Howard until the fall of 1962. Then he and Bessie gave up ranching for good and moved to St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1970, they returned to South Dakota and entered the John Shirk Memorial Home in Faulkton, South Dakota. They were also residents of the rest home in Rapid City and Mary House in Pierre. Ray passed away in Pierre, January 25, 1972 and is buried in the Faulkton Cemetery. Bessie is 80 years old now and a resident of John P. Shirk Memorial Home in Faulkton, South Dakota.