An obituary for S. Mathisen (assumed here, to be Sverre Mathisen) held a sweet story: he asked Ella Nelsen, his childhood playmate in Norway, to emigrate, so to marry him in Iowa. It was 1896.1 It said they shared a child around 1899. Also, that S., a stonemason, was interred in the Norwegian Cemetery of … Continue reading Sverre Mathisen 1865-1902, Olea Andrea Nilssen 1870-1939: Hattfjelldal and Estherville
Tag: Estherville Iowa
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Intermission; Etta Weds, Photos ca 1900
We are pleased to share some early photos of Matt's adored elder sister, the unforgettable Etta Church. It was she who detained in Norway with him for over a year; two preteens pining to join their parents and siblings in America. In late November 1887, they did just that.1 Matt credited her, in his Memoirs, … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Intermission; Etta Weds, Photos ca 1900
