January 1910--Intro, 1st--15th

Hello ! Here is the website where you can view in her own handwriting the pages of Mary (Olsen) Paulsen's 1910 diary, i.e. a century ago now. She is shown above in a Havre MT photo, 1928 -- nearly a generation after these pages were written in 1910 in Cando ND. Subsequent postings will be shorter, since this one is kind of a re-view of the old family photos and re-intro to her life. I'll be making Far Less commentary then I did in previous years. IF YOU know of someone elderly-or-not who has a computer but might not be savvy to how to touch [on their email from me] the blue-link-line to access a website, please teach them of how easy it is ! That's your job -- not mine. And tell me their email address, if they are interested. Each month I will e-mail the link for you to view this. Yup, monthly. (Except for this first sending // I am cutting the month in half, as I worry that the length of this month's full entry will freak out my blogging software (?) and lose everything -- as happened 30 Dec.))

Tap your cursor on any photo or diary page scan to temporarily enlarge it.

There are so many Marys in this extended family that I refer to this Mary as MaryOP.
MaryOP and her husband-to-be Albert knew each other well in Denmark before they emigrated to USA, Minnesota.
Here below is their 'promise photo' in Denmark, approx 1872. Then their names were Albrecht Paulsen (son of Paul Fredrickson) and Maren Olsen, both age 19. Albrecht came in 1872 to 'scout' s.e. MN along with his just younger brother, Hans. Maren came over in 1873 (with Albrecht & Hans' family) -- A & M soon married. By then their names were Americanized as known today: Albert [1853--1904] and Mary [1853--1940.]

Then, about 27--29 years later as are they looked in ND:


Above, Albert's photo was likely taken the same day as the family group photo, below (ca. 1901) while MaryOP's oval portrait is from 1899-- a couple years before they packed up and moved to Kalispell MT.
Here next is their flock of kids -- the 11 who survived young childhood; their 1st-born Will died when a month old; their 8th-born and first George died age 3, in ND. Upon their deaths, the subsequent child of that gender was named 'for' them, as was the custom -- hence, William Walter and George Andrew.
All these Paulsens, above: -- back row, L-to-R: Mary Henrietta, Edward Louis, Henry Jacob, Fred Christian, George Andrew, Lena Fredericke, William Walter and Anna Christine.
Front row, 'The Girls' in plaid: Emma Ida, Hannah Clara and Lillie Sarah flank the parents, Albert and MaryOP. Likely, this photo was taken ca. 1901 as a last photo with those married ones who mostly stayed behind -- the rest traveled with their parents to Montana. It's also the last one we have that's taken with their dad Albert who died too soon in 1904.
Hereafter I will continue to make bold any names of Albert & MaryOP's children as I type of them in commentary, below.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Here's what the book itself looks like -- the nice leather wrap-around cover, then her poems etc inside the front cover, title page, and some I.D. with phone numbers.





/\/\/\/\

Okay -- on with the diary pages now and some family photos as she mentions people. Note in left margin of Jan 1 -- how Hannah (almost 18) froze in nasty cold temps and winds.




Above is the "Mathias's" MaryOP mentions in the previous entry. They were friends of AP & MaryOP when they lived in s.e. MN. -- The wife, above, is our Albert Paulsen's youngest sister, Mary -- she married the fellow Mathias Paulson so her name didn't change much if at all. [This 1901 photo shows 11 of their 14 children; the 9th-born died young, the two in white are twins, and two more were born after the time of the photo! ]

"Wills" as mentioned above is her eldest son William W. who lived nearby and did much to help his widowed Mom. Here he is shown in 1901 when marrying Olga Nilson (born in Norway)-- one of four Nilsons/ Nelson sisters/ cousins who married into this Paulsen family! Will and Olga had no children of their own but often their home was 'grand central station' for many in family and beyond.

The "Rasmus's" mentioned above are Ras S. Rasmussen and MaryOP's 2nd oldest daughter, Lena. In this 1910 photo below they have four children -- their fifth would be born later in the year. (Lena was likely 'carrying' her, at the time.) 'The Farmer's Institute' was a yearly conference and gathering of many farmers from the county to Cando, the county seat.


>>> 21 degrees below zero with NW wind bringing the arctic chill from Canada! (No "wind-chill" effects given back then...) These hardy Scandinavians were no doubt grateful indeed for the sunshine as she tells above.

MaryOP usually refers to her youngest: Lillie, Hannah and Emma-- as "The Girls." Here below in a photo taken about 3 years before this diary they are seen in that order. Lillie (16 in photo) is old enough to have a longer dress:




"Furnish" always refers to the furnace, of course.

"Ed's" are MaryOP's 7th-born Edward and his wife Helen (Sands) shown above in their 1907 Christmas Eve wedding pic. They would have 4 children together; none yet in 1910.

"Henry's" are MaryOP's 9th-born Henry & wife Othilde ('Tillie') Nelson -- a sister of Olga, Will's wife -- in their wedding pose just one month before this diary entry. (I'm partial to Henry & Tillie as their first born (1910) would be my Dad, Everett -- And this note is "artistic license!")

( I have no clue of who "Axel" is. Anyone out there know? please e-mail me; see below.)


See above / she writes: "10 below, very nice . and warmer." Small blessings = Big.

The WCTU = "Women's Christian Temperance Union," very anti-alcohol. MaryOP often had their meeting at her home -- preceded by a big, tiring flourish of housecleaning. (see preceding entry, 2 above)

"Jim's" (Jim, brother of Ras S. Rasmussen and Jim's wife, MaryOP's 6th-born, Annie) "came nearly to die last night from gas from the Heater." A big danger in Winter in the North. Here's a fuzzy photo of them [circa 1905] holding 2 of their 3 children on working 'butchering day"with more Rasmussens in Kalispell -- always done on a COLD day to freeze the meat quickly before storing:



I KNOW there is a really lovely wedding photo of Jim R. and Annie (Christmas Eve 1902), somewhere out there. >>I've a memory of seeing it.<<>

.

Other OLD photos are welcome, too, of course! Or corrections to what I've written here.

Modern obits & fishing photos won't be used here -- Just old stuff. If someone else wishes to start a general Paulsenoid website for current things, health studies & reports, Etc., that's great.

______________________________

The second 1/2 of January's entries you'll find in the next blog entry:: 1910, Jan.16th--31st. Subsequent months will fit into one posting as only unshared sibling photos will there, not repeated from this month's.

-- MAPP

.