April 1910

Before we begin on the April diary entries, I'll reshow above the photo of Albert's parents, Anna Marie (Nielsen) and Paul Fredrickson (Poul Fredericksen, his name in Denmark) taken in about 1887 in s.e. MN. Both had died by this 1910 point: Anna Marie in 1901, Paul in 1907. This photo is rather an echo from the end of last month's post. For the Children of this couple -- that's Albert's siblings thus MaryOP's sisters- & brothers-in-law -- see the end of this April posting.

Now starts her April 1910 diary:


Crume [George, 46] bids $165 to paint the place but MaryOP soon will bargain that down.

Dagny (married to Chris Rasmussen, brother of Lena's Ras and Annie's Jim) and Rachel (Eide) were two of her previous house servants with whom she remains in contact. First is a 1907 photo of Dagny, Chris and three of their eventual six children, in Kalispell:

Above is Rachel (nee Kvamme, from Norway) who had been their house servant in Kalispell MT. While there, she gave birth to a boy by MaryOP-Albert's 7th-born, Edward. The lad is seen in dark suit, above, two to left of his mother in this photo some years later, circa 1909. MaryOP was mid-wife for the birth of course. Rachel soon left with her baby for ND and there married Rasmus Eide who needed a wife and who adopted this boy as Arthur Eide into his group of children (their mother had died.) The photo shows their melded family of 'his' and Art and 'their' children together. They lived in Minnewaukon near Devil's Lake, south of Cando. Sadly, Art didn't get to meet his siblings by a then married Edward & Helen (Sand) in his lifetime, just a county away. But MaryOP stayed in close correspondence with her; the lad was quietly MaryOP's grandson, after all. Happily, contact has since been restored between the Eides and the Paulsen family tree in this past decade thanks mostly to Amy Michelsen, granddaughter of Art. (this Blog isn't for recent decades' stuff, but I hadta include that since that century+ old 'situation' and adoption required some follow up.)

Hannah experiences a car ride going with the local Methodist Episcopal minister, to a child's funeral.

--- Oops, the April 5 page just went Poof. Too late to start this all again ! On April 5 she writes that it froze ocernight, they mangled and ironed, she raked then burned leaves, and is very tired.

She has dickered with the painter to get the price down about 40% and adjusted the project specifications some.

Her 'wrapor' or wrapper is a kind of comfy housedress (I think) which she likely can't find in her size at the Mercantile, so homemakes it.

The dressmaker goes to her house three times in these four days. In May she will pay her $67 (a lot of cash then!) for the total of these Spring dressmaking labors.

Carl is MaryOP-Albert's daughter MaryH's husband Carl Fredlund. They live north-northeast of Cando a piece.

Mr. Tyler maintains the house's sewer system.

"Snow sleet Windy" in Spring. 'Presshure Thank' is their pressure tank, of course. Mail order goods from Montgomery Ward --

She pays $7.10 for the freight goods and 25 cents for the dray-wagon delivery according to her April cash out list at end of these diary pages, below.

Sunshine is melting the snow. She pays out 60 cents for the Box express for return of goods.

I believe MaryOP spells 'be with us through night' as bee inasmuch as 'see' is present tense for seen, so why isn't 'bee' the present tense of been? Makes good sense to me. She has taught herself English well over the past three decades, bit by bit. Not long before 1910 she was spelling (bless us) 'through the night' as 'True the Night' so repairs of this difficult English language continue. 'Through' remains tricky and vacillates sometimes.

Here is MaryOP's own 1908 laundry soap recipe. I imagine she made it up frequently.

Next shows that open-air porch and front gate she is painting; photo from pre-1907. It is MaryOP's Cando home where they were when she wrote this diary and for a span of about nine years before the kids were married off and fledged. Then she broke up housekeeping in about 1913 to live with several of her children, over time.

And the same house still standing in 2007 -- with a now closed-in porch.

She pays out about $8.00 for the lumber, nails and the carpenter, Sam Martin..

Morris is also known as Maurice, another Rasmussen brother. She writes him for some labor needed.

Her son Will and wife Olga come in then leave tomorrow.

'Carls' is her daughter MaryH, busband Carl Fredlund and children Jalmer and Nellie. They live to northeast, near his brother Sander and 'Mary Sanders' family.

Then a horrible event. The Egeland depot was likely a wooden tinder box -- depots of brick were too expensive. The depot construction that replaced this one was also of wood. A depot's keeper usually lived upstairs. The next day his family's remains are sent northward. Such a horror.
First Nat'l Bank president Curt Lord's servant girls come over-- I wonder what they did for MaryOP? Morris R. is paid $33.50 for his work and hauling.

Mrs. Bellows -- a friend, fellow widow.

'Storm shanty?' -- a shanty is generally a weak or slap-dash structure; how can it protect in a storm? Maybe she refers to a storm shelter. Anyway, it gets painted as do all the 'screens' and more -- to welcome in {and spruce up for} Springtime.

'Georges' are her son and his wife Annie, up from Fargo where her Nelson family lives. In her address pages at back of diary she notes: 'George Paulsen, Room 7 in Bower Block, Fargo ND' but I don't know if that's where they live (after their sale of farm) or a stay for him sometime later in the year.

MaryOP's expense record for April 1910, in the back of the diary:

Now as promised @ the head of this posting, the 12 offspring of Paul & Anna Marie N. Fredrickson in birth order.

Those births spanned a quarter century: 1850 to circa 1874/'75.

________________________________________

I Believe the next photo to be first-born Niels Frederick Poulsen, b. 1850 with his parents. We know it is Poul & Anna Marie N. Fredrickon, for certain. He was named Niels after his mother's father, Niels Nielsen. If Anna Marie & Poul had been married at that time, traditionally that first born son is named for the father's father, but they weren't. Poul is among those listed as sponsors or God-parents at Niels' baptism. Quite typical of the times; they would marry in 3 years. His middle name is for Poul's father, Frederick Clemmensen. The photo was taken in Denmark; Niels stayed in DK when the others emigrated to Minnesota in 1872 and 1873. With help from other family history buffs, the question of whether he stayed his whole life in DK or later crossed the Atlantic will soon be answered. The young man in the photo --if not Niels-- resembles some younger brothers --but ?? If the young man in photo is indeed Niels, I gather it was taken in the mid-1860s. Is there an antique-photo afficionado Reader who'd (please) help me date this image by style of its 'look'?

Here is Anna Marie & Paul with their four adult daughters, ca 1887 in MN. From left, the daughters are Marion (Ditlevson), Mary (Paulson), Dorothea (Miller) and Carrie (Hanson), all of whom lived and stayed in south-eastern MN. The remaining photos were also taken in the U.S.

Next is Paul Fredrickson with the five adult Paul-sons/ Paulsen, photo taken same day as the daughters, circa 1887. I believe this was taken because the eldest, Albert, would soon move with his family to ND -- so they documented the intact family. Gathered around their Dad from Left: Andrew, Albert, Jacob, Hans, and George. Three sons stayed in s.e. MN; Albert and Hans went westward.

Second-born Albert (1853--1904) married Mary Olsen in 1873 MN as new immigrants from the same locale in Denmark, then Albrecht & Maren. Most of us Readers descend from them.

In this ND 1894 photo, their surviving 11 children are posed-- 'including' the youngest, Emma, with whom MaryOP is pregnant, I believe.

And the same group about 7 years later, still living in Egeland ND. This was likely taken circa 1901 to document the intact family before most would move to Kalispell MT. Three in the back row were already married: Mary, Fred and Lena. Very often a move is the time any family would gather for a studio grouping like this, as they most likely won't be all together again. MaryOP was diligent about investing in studio photos -- lucky for us.

Third-born Hans A. Paulson (1855--1914) was only 17 when he came across the ocean in 1872 with his just-older brother Albert to MN.. They reported to their family in Denmark to come ahead and they did. Hans married Mary Jorgenson in 1877 and stayed in south-east MN until about 1902 when they moved west to WA. The photo was taken before leaving MN. All 12 of their children survived; some would return to the (Danish) spelling of Paulsen:

Fourth-born Marion orig. Maren (1857--1917) was 15 when her family came to USA/ MN, and within two years she married Lars C. Ditlevson. They stayed, farmed and had 15 children; amazingly, all survived childhood. The youngest two in this ca 1901 photo are twins:

Fifth-born Dorothea (1860--1922) was 16 in 1876 when she married Peter Miller, seen below in circa 1897. They had six children; the youngest a boy I know nothing of his short life. [Maybe a Sander Fredlund descendant out there can please teach me?] Husband Peter died in 1903, a year before the death of his brother-in-law [our] Albert Paulsen. MaryOP stayed in close correspondance with her friend, sister-in-law and fellow widow Dorothea who she refers to as 'Mrs. Miller' in the diaries. Two of Dorothea's children, Peter F. Miller and Adena (youth in white by her, below) stayed unmarried, farmed together (on land owned previously by their grandfather Paul Fredrickson) and cared for their widowed Mother. Daughter Mary (at left, below) will within 4 years marry Sander Fredlund (brother of Albert-MaryOP's daughter MaryHP's husband, Carl...) That's 3 Marys right there {every family seemed to have one!} so to be distinct from the many multiples of Marys in this extended family, Dorothea's daughter Mary added her husband's first name to her own and was thereafter known as 'Mary Sanders' by most.

Sixth-born Carrie is next (1863-- after 1940). At 17 (1880) she married an established farmer Hans Hanson, an immigrant 18 yrs her senior. Her husband Hans and she farmed in section 4 of Blooming Prairie township [Steele Co.] two miles from her parents Paul & Anna Marie, in section 18. They had 8 children, 7 of whom survived childhood. If someone knows Carrie's death date, please tell me. Here's a symmetrically sculpted family photo, circa 1902:

Seventh-born George (1864--1942) was 9 when they arrived in MN from Denmark. In the circa 1889 photo below we see George and his wife Minnie (Jacobson, married in 1887) with Alice -- the first of their seven children. SO, I need help with finding a photo of the children, or George & Minnie with the children. I know someone in southern MN must know where such is, but where to look -- ideas?

Eighth-born Mary a.k.a.Mary Ann or Marie (1866--1929) is another of MaryOP's sister-in-law friend-widows to whom she would write, referring to her as 'Mrs. Mathias.' She married Mathias Paulson (different family) in 1884. The photo below was taken about 1902, as were many Paulson siblings-families; the photography studio(s) there did good business in 1901-1902. Mathias died too young in 1909 (7 yrs after this photo) leaving 'Mary Mathias' with 12 children ages 2-24. Two more were born between this photo and Mathias' death, after the twins seen below. An earlier girl hadn't survived infanthood. Only one was married when Mathias died. I try to imagine this Mary's situation, and truly can't. Our MaryOP had 11 surviving children when Albert died but they were ages 10-28; of them several were married and away. --Yikes.

Very hard for anyone left as a single parent of any number of offspring.

Nineth-born Jacob (1868--1930) married Maggie Andersen in 1890 -- here's their wedding photo. A 1902 or 1903 photo showing five of their seven children follows this picture:

Tenth-born Andrew (1870--1922) married young to Mary Claudine Jensen who died not long after; no children. In 1899 at age 29 he married Dora Rasmussen; I doubt she was any relation to 'our' ND Rasmussens who I'll try to photo-feature next month. Andrew and Dora had a daughter and three sons over the subsequent six years but I have no photo of them. Help! ( Cyndy, do you have such? )

11th born, Johanna or Hannah girlchild (No photo) was born in Denmark some months before the family set sail in 1873 for Amerika but she died on board at the age of 6 months; buried at sea. Her mother Anna Marie was age 41 at the time. Anna Marie and Paul had seven other children with them in the ship, the Franklin. Albert and Hans had gone ahead of them. Also on the Franklin boat with adjacent ticket numbers was Maren Olsen (Albert's 'promised' -- our MaryOP) and her Olsen family. I have a sure sense that Maren (age 20) helped her future parents-in-law with their children (ages 3-16) while on board, esp. the youngest ones.

12th born, Fred was born after their arrival in Minnesota when Anna Marie was in her early 40s. He lived about three years and was buried on a farm in s.e. MN -- location? (No photo.)

We don't know of a gravestone, likely not, or if a wooden marker it is long gone.

Does ANYONE know more about this toddler? > please advise me.

vvvvvv

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That's it for this April 1910 diary posting. If you have comments, corrections, Old photos, etc. to share pertaining specifically to this Blog or the life of MaryOP and her family, please send them to me by email mapptree@gmail.com for possible inclusion in this Blog. (Please don't use my email address for spamming, rampant political fwd-ings and the like, or for business purposes, of course.) Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you by email since the 'Comments' tool in this format doesn't work well for most folk.

>> Happy Easter and April springtime to you.

Marsha Paulsen Peters

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