Thorvald was the oldest of all of the children of Peder Thompson and was the only child not born in Vineland Township, Polk County, Minnesota. Thorvald was born December 24, 1872 in Freeborn County, Minnesota and was the only one of the children of Peder Thompson and Anna Marie Pedersdatter to grow to adulthood. His brother, Marthenius P. and his sister, Helene Maria both died when they were less than one year old.
Thorvald came with his parents to Vineland in 1873 when he was less than one year old. He spent the rest of his life in that community. He was a lifelong member of the Sand Hill Lutheran Church where he was confirmed.
When the Peder Thompson family moved from the old home place in 1893 to the new farm which they had purchased in section seven of Vineland, Thorvald did not move with them but remained at the home in section 11 of Little Vineland. Later after his brother Arthur married Emma Berg, they lived in the upstairs of the house and Thorvald lived in the basement.
Thorvald and Arthur were very close through much of their lives. Both were musically inclined, Arthur played the violin and Thorvald played both the bass and the violin.
They also ran a threshing unit; Thorvald ran the threshing machine and Arthur ran the tractor. They started with a steam engine and later went to a gas unit. Arthur had gone to school in Red Wing and used this training when he and Thorvald ran the threshing unit.
Thorvald was a handsome and well-dressed man and cut quite a swath in his youth. He also had quite a sense of humor. One time Thorvald gave the Evenson girls a ride to Crookston in his car and they rode in the back seat—they also rode in the back seat on the way home. When they got home, they asked Thorvald how much they owed him. He told them, two dollars, but if you had ridden in the front seat, I wouldn't have charged you anything.
Thorvald became somewhat of a hermit and recluse later in his life. He lived in a round steel bin which was located in a pasture on the Arthur Thompson farm. He had holes cut in the sides where he placed windows. In the center of the floor, he had cut out and dug a hole; it was where he kept his beer.
When Thorvald lived in the steel bin, he had no auto or means of transportation, and so he relied on Arthur and Emma Thompson when he needed groceries. He also spent the holidays with them.
Thorvald had the nickname of "Bygen" which in Norwegian means grouchy, morose or obstinate. While he was somewhat of a hermit, he did retain a dry wit of humor so the origin of the nickname is unknown. No one really knows why Thorvald chose such a lifestyle unless he was spurned by some lady love at some point in his life.
Thorvald died from cancer on September 20, 1942, at a Crookston hospital. He was 69 years of age and had been in failing health for two years. His father had also died from cancer at the age of 69. A note from the diary of his brother, Henry, shows that four brothers, Arthur, John, Olaf and Henry dug Thorvald's grave. It was the custom for family member to dig the graves.
Funeral services for Thorvale were held at the Sand Hill Lutheran Church on September 24th and he was buried in the church cemetery. Pallbearers were Ole Koppang, Halvor Paulson, Olaf Rensland, Thor Grove, Hans Evenson and Einar Thune.