Norval Ellefson was born at Dallas, Wisconsin (Barron County) on January 20, 1906. From a very early age, because of the accidental death of his father in 1912, he helped his brothers do various tasks at the farmsite first homesteaded by their maternal grandfather in 1884. When he was 17 years old Ellefson, along with a younger brother, began to operate the farm, still owned by their mother. In 1931, Norval Ellefson became sole owner of the farm, located in the Town of Wilson, Dunn County, just south of the boundary line separating Dunn from Barron county.
Ellefson's story is that of a quiet, unassuming Wisconsin dairy farmer who gradually expanded and improved his operation while becoming more active in the affairs of church, community and organized farmers. Ultimately, Ellefson became and remained for many years chairman of the Dunn County board of supervisors and chairman of the board of directors, Farmers Union Central Exchange, Inc., headquartered at South St. Paul, Minnesota. The researcher will find summaries about Ellefson's involvement in community and cooperative affairs in the xeroxed newspaper articles and other materials filed in the Archives and Manuscripts Division.
