My Mother's Mother's Family
This a story mostly of my mother's mother's family;
My mother's, mother's, sister's name was Inga. I didn't even think of her while writing about my grandmother. That whole generation has been gone now for over thirty years; I never did hear any stories about young Inga. I just know her from my own experiences with her and her husband Knute Andahl. Inga and Knute lived in Henning which just a few miles North and East of Vining, Vining being where my great-grandparents had their hotel. In his nineties, Knute was badly burnt in a vacant lot fire next to his house. I'm not sure how the fire got started, perhaps some driver had thrown a cigarette out of a car window.
Inga and Knute had five children: Roy, Ray, Dennis, Doris, and Vern. Roy and Ray were twins, Ray dying when he was a baby. I met Roy only once, I'm not sure what he did, but he did live in the Henning area. Dennis had a master of music, teaching piano at the University of Rochester, New York. Doris went East and got married. I never did met her. Vern worked for the telephone company. Vern got married and had three children. These children are my second cousins, Jim, Lois, and Jeannie. Lois's husband, Steve, just died. He was in the insurance business. In the eighties, having a business with employees, I used Steve's insurance company to provide insurance to my employees.
Andahl is one of those 'place names' used by the Scandinavians and other cultures. The people, at least those living on farms, which were most of them, used the farm name as a last name. Their middle name was their father's name plus an added son or daughter. Using that method, my mother would have been named, Hazel Henry daughter Farmname, whatever that farm name was. Often when they moved into town or emigrated, either they kept the farm name, or used their middle name for a sir name. The farms were not like our family farms here. They had several different families living on a farm. Many times the families were unrelated; but all would use that farm name as a last name.
In the late fifties, I was very interested in electronics, always designing different projects, always building different projects. I was also going to college in St. Cloud. Vern and his family lived in St. Cloud at that time, as well. I would stop by, once in a while, picking up short pieces of bundled telephone wire from Vern. I would take wire from these bundles to use on my projects. His three kids, my second cousins, were not home much, or lived somewhere else; I know Lois was already married.
Just since my sixties, have I gotten acquainted with them in any significant way. Jim is in a rest home now; I did go to a birthday party that Jeannie had for him. I also went to Lois's husband's funeral. Jeannie was at my birthday party last summer, this being only the second birthday party I've had in my life, the first being when I was twelve.
When my youngest brother was born, my mother was seriously sick. My brother, sister, and I were 'farmed out' to different relatives. My brother Gerry Al stayed with Vern and Betty, and their three kids, the Andahl's living in Montevideo, a few years before moving to St. Cloud. At that time, my sister Sharon Ann stayed with my grandfather Oscar's sister, Mabel. I stayed with my father's sister, Eva, and her family of four children.
Jeannie Andahl stopped to see Grandma Monson, her great-aunt, one time on the farm in Clarissa. My family was there too. When Jeannie went to leave, her car was dead. Gerry Al opened the hood and with a screwdriver rubbed the post of the battery and got sparks; so he tightened it; she got going. She just told me that.
Grandma Monson and Inga may have had another brother and or sister. I just talked to Jeannie; and she mentioned that; but I had never heard of them before. They may have been cousins.
One more thing: in 1949 Minnesota had its territorial centennial. Vern and family still lived in Montevideo. We visited them the day Montevideo had its centennial parade. It seemed like most other parades, but what I remember was, the mayor of Montevideo, Uruguay, making a speech saying the two cities named Montevideo were sister cities.
Inga and Knute had five children: Roy, Ray, Dennis, Doris, and Vern. Roy and Ray were twins, Ray dying when he was a baby. I met Roy only once, I'm not sure what he did, but he did live in the Henning area. Dennis had a master of music, teaching piano at the University of Rochester, New York. Doris went East and got married. I never did met her. Vern worked for the telephone company. Vern got married and had three children. These children are my second cousins, Jim, Lois, and Jeannie. Lois's husband, Steve, just died. He was in the insurance business. In the eighties, having a business with employees, I used Steve's insurance company to provide insurance to my employees.
Andahl is one of those 'place names' used by the Scandinavians and other cultures. The people, at least those living on farms, which were most of them, used the farm name as a last name. Their middle name was their father's name plus an added son or daughter. Using that method, my mother would have been named, Hazel Henry daughter Farmname, whatever that farm name was. Often when they moved into town or emigrated, either they kept the farm name, or used their middle name for a sir name. The farms were not like our family farms here. They had several different families living on a farm. Many times the families were unrelated; but all would use that farm name as a last name.
In the late fifties, I was very interested in electronics, always designing different projects, always building different projects. I was also going to college in St. Cloud. Vern and his family lived in St. Cloud at that time, as well. I would stop by, once in a while, picking up short pieces of bundled telephone wire from Vern. I would take wire from these bundles to use on my projects. His three kids, my second cousins, were not home much, or lived somewhere else; I know Lois was already married.
Just since my sixties, have I gotten acquainted with them in any significant way. Jim is in a rest home now; I did go to a birthday party that Jeannie had for him. I also went to Lois's husband's funeral. Jeannie was at my birthday party last summer, this being only the second birthday party I've had in my life, the first being when I was twelve.
When my youngest brother was born, my mother was seriously sick. My brother, sister, and I were 'farmed out' to different relatives. My brother Gerry Al stayed with Vern and Betty, and their three kids, the Andahl's living in Montevideo, a few years before moving to St. Cloud. At that time, my sister Sharon Ann stayed with my grandfather Oscar's sister, Mabel. I stayed with my father's sister, Eva, and her family of four children.
Jeannie Andahl stopped to see Grandma Monson, her great-aunt, one time on the farm in Clarissa. My family was there too. When Jeannie went to leave, her car was dead. Gerry Al opened the hood and with a screwdriver rubbed the post of the battery and got sparks; so he tightened it; she got going. She just told me that.
Grandma Monson and Inga may have had another brother and or sister. I just talked to Jeannie; and she mentioned that; but I had never heard of them before. They may have been cousins.
One more thing: in 1949 Minnesota had its territorial centennial. Vern and family still lived in Montevideo. We visited them the day Montevideo had its centennial parade. It seemed like most other parades, but what I remember was, the mayor of Montevideo, Uruguay, making a speech saying the two cities named Montevideo were sister cities.
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