Sigurd Edvin Olaussen and Granddad, Matt Hemmingsen, were cousins of Hattfjelldal's Groli Farm. Matt emigrated in late 1887, at eleven. Sigurd was seven then, but not yet an orphan. He left Norway early in 1902, for the Thief River Falls area of Minnesota.1 This locale was familiar to Granddad through his work, both there and … Continue reading Sigurd Edvin Olaussen Olson Grolid (1880-1946) of Hattfjelldal
Tag: Matt Hemmingsen
Uproar at Groli Farm, Hattfjelldal; Christmas 1880: Part II
Part I of this saga saw Lars Nilsen Rued depart Hattfjelldal for Wisconsin, alone and in secret, early on Christmas morning of 1880. This quite upended family festivities planned at Groli Farm, home of his father-in-law, Hemming Paulsen. Lars' wife, Pauline Hemmingsdatter, stayed behind with their four surviving children. Why the secrecy? Part II here, … Continue reading Uproar at Groli Farm, Hattfjelldal; Christmas 1880: Part II
Christmas Uproar at Groli Farm. God Jul! 25. desember 1880
It was Christmas Day of 1880 at the home of our great-greats, Hemming Paulsen and Gurine Olsdatter. Their children were grown and most had arrived to celebrate with young families of their own. Dear Elen was remembered, their daughter gone since spring, but babbles from Ingeborg Anna Marie's infant son filled the house with expectation … Continue reading Christmas Uproar at Groli Farm. God Jul! 25. desember 1880
Matt Hemmingsen 1876-1967: The 100 Years Since His Margaret Was Born.
Matt and Margaret Hemmingsen had five children throughout the 1910s.1 They named them for heritage and after those with whom they had shared significant hardship. These names were worn in honor through more idyllic family times, by siblings who formed deep abiding friendships. With glorious childhoods stretching through the 1920s, they matured into the depression … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen 1876-1967: The 100 Years Since His Margaret Was Born.
Granddad’s Cousin: Hemming Gustavsen 1877-1966; A Larger Life Than Lean.
It is best that the adult life of Hemming Gustavsen be told first. After all, circumstances surrounding his uegte birth, or of unwed parents, were so complicated that its telling in the same breath, risks overshadowing his own story.1 Likewise, it is best that his last census be up first; that of 1950 taken in … Continue reading Granddad’s Cousin: Hemming Gustavsen 1877-1966; A Larger Life Than Lean.
Memoirs of Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967): The Old Man’s Needlepoint
DEAR SISTER, MARIE OLSDATTER HEMMINGSEN (1880-1899) Sometimes a story is held back because it seems factually unfinished, say, a resting place is still unknown. Perhaps it seems too lean; the person demised young, had no children and no career. All along, a rich tale was already told, to be absorbed and told anew. Our dear … Continue reading Memoirs of Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967): The Old Man’s Needlepoint
Miss Denham (1879-1978)
Miss Denham belonged in Granny’s kitchen, just as much as Granny herself. Indeed, she held position at our dining table. We imagine her still, its linen laid, pushing the swing door to pass through the butler pantry and emerge in the kitchen. No one hides kitchen from dining anymore. Pity, for the reverse trip brought … Continue reading Miss Denham (1879-1978)
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Family Leave circa 1907 and Epic Tsolum River Logjam
As our last post closed, Matt Hemmingsen was mourning the death of his young wife of two years, the lovely Caroline Dybedal.1 The couple had made their way to Chemainus on Vancouver Island by June 1906, to relocate and for Matt to apply his technical expertise to an intractable logging debacle. But an emerging illness … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Family Leave circa 1907 and Epic Tsolum River Logjam
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: A Lumbering Bait and Switch.
Over the last several posts we saw that resource depletion around the Great Lakes was causing logging operations to move ever westward. Our Matt Hemmingson of Wisconsin ran river drives on the Upper Mississippi, and harvested logs in North Dakota. But the crushing death of his brother, Harry, in the woods of Minnesota late 1900, … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: A Lumbering Bait and Switch.
Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Healing On A Logging Horse – THUD.
Our Matt Hemmingson, already an accomplished logger at 18, proudly asserted “Cant hook work (rolling and lifting logs) could be mastered only by the most skillful, strong, and agile and those not allergic to long hours of work … “.1 That was 1894. His 1900 counter, “After Harry’s funeral, I decided against any further cant … Continue reading Matt Hemmingsen (1876-1967) Memoirs: Healing On A Logging Horse – THUD.
