“For me, this was the seminal origin story of my family. And key details proved to be untrue.”
For family historians, oral tradition can be an invaluable treasure. My aunt Mildred Hovick Monge (1907–2003), our first family historian and my inspiration, collected so much of it in her memoirs, Remember, “Niblits and Bits,” and “Life on Board the Twentieth Century, Ltd.” Rich in detail, they tell the intimate stories of our ancestors, things that historical records, with their dates and locations, can only hint at. Those of us further down the Hovick family tree will forever be grateful to you, Aunt Mimi.
At the same time, human memory is an imperfect thing. Stories can change with retelling; details can be embellished or forgotten. Oral history can be like a decades- and generations-long game of telephone, resulting in a tale much changed from the original facts.
I was thirteen when Remember was published, and in particular, Mildred’s tale of my great-grandfather, Mikkel Braaten, utterly captivated me. Filled with tragedy, adversity, and survival, this single story ignited my life-long passion for genealogy. Here are the five paragraphs that so moved me as a youth:
“Angry and hurt at the blows Life had dealt him, Mikkel Brotten [Braaten] turned to his children standing along the boat rail watching the shores of Norway disappear from view and vehemently said, ‘Jeg haaper jeg aldrig ser dig igjen, Norge.’ Translated: ‘I hope I never see you again, Norway.’
“Mikkel was born [in 1840, so we thought] in Hedemarken in Northern Norway and grew up there working as a carpenter. He married Anna Tønset who bore him seven sons and daughters, six of whom were with him now on this trip to America. Recently his wife Anna had died of cancer, making the hardships almost unbearable for him…
“With him were Martin, Mina, Severine, Henry, Tonette (Nettie to us), and Anna Marie. Mikkel stood observing them with compassion, wondering what they were thinking as they huddled together onboard ship. Would they soon be able to forget all the nights they had gone to bed hungry? Often times their supper consisted of nothing more than boiled potato peelings. Could the letters from America, with their promise of plenty for them really be telling the truth? Would all these hopes come true? Would they compensate for the break away from their home? For Home it was to them, in spite of the hardships. Time would tell.
“Ahead of them were weeks onboard ship, crowded together with all the other passengers in very tight quarters with only blankets draped between families for a semblance of privacy. Seasickness plagued most of them, and with no clothes-washing facilities, the vomit and diarrhea dried on their clothing, causing a terrible stench in the airless quarters below deck. Their food, brought from home, became scarce toward the end of the trip and was often spoiled due to the lack of refrigeration. The women had to take turns at the stove in the ship’s kitchen cooking for their families after the ship’s cook had served the crew of sailors. Water was at a premium. The fear of sickness and death at sea was constant.
“But Mikkel and all six children survived. Pauline [his daughter, my maternal grandmother] says he shuddered at the thought of his trip as he told it in later years.” [1]
For me, this was the seminal origin story of my family. And key details proved to be untrue.
Extensive research, delving into both Norwegian and American records, revealed:
Mikkel had not been born in 1840 in northern Norway.
Anne had not died in Norway, but in Minnesota.
Mikkel and Anne only had three children in Norway, the other four in Minnesota.
Mikkel immigrated, not with his children, but with his sister and her family (Anne and their then-three children followed him one year later).
I have described this research, and its convoluted paths, in an article—a proof argument—entitled “Who Were the Parents of Mikkel Braaten?” that will be published in the Autumn 2020 edition of Minnesota Genealogist, the quarterly journal of the Minnesota Genealogical Association. Because of its publication there, I am not allowed to reprint the article here. But you can read my biography of Mikkel and find out all I learned.
So, how should we think of our oral tradition in light of these hard, historical facts? Rather than history invalidating tradition, I believe it only serves to enrich it. Research has revealed so much more about his life than I ever dreamed we’d know. But in the end, despite these historical revelations, the core of Mikkel’s story remains unchanged. Starvation drove them from Norway, he endured a torturous journey across the Atlantic, and the promise of America, at least for him and his family, proved to be true.
Thank you, Aunt Mildred.
[1] Mildred Hovick Monge, “Remember,” family history, 1974; “Remember,” blog entry, Hovick Lohman History, blog (hovicklohmanhistory.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/remember/ : accessed 30 August 2020), pdf, pt. 1, ch. 4, “Recollections with Pauline,” p. 45 (printed).
My great-grandfather, Mikkel Mikkelsen (who would adopt the surname Braaten after immigrating to the United States), was born on 1 April 1834 on the Øya farm in Vang Parish, Innlandet (formerly Hedmark) County, in eastern Norway. [1]
Location in red of Vang Parish, Innlandet County, Norway [2]Vang Parish, Churches, Family-Associated Farms, and Documented Years of Residence [15]
Because Øya [ø is pronounced like the oo in soot] was so remote, and the main Vang Kirke [SHIR-keh] (church) so far away, his baptism took place on 8 June 1834 at the Åmot [OH-moot] Kirke in the town of Rena in northern Vang Parish. [3]
The font at which Mikkel was likely baptized, Åmot Kirke, 1775 [4]
Øya, which means island, is situated on the banks of the Åsta [OH-stah] River, east of Lillehammer, in a remote, sparsely populated region of northern Vang Parish called the Almendingen (see map above). Mikkel was the the fifth of eight children born to Mikkel (often spelled Michel) Gulbrandsen (1796–1867) and Sophie Pedersdatter (1797–1884). They moved to Øya by 1831, his father purchased the farm in 1833, and by 1836 he had built a sawmill, which as of 1989, was still standing. [5] Like his father, Mikkel became a carpenter.
Decades later, Mikkel’s older sister Eli Mikkelsdatter (1831–1918) related stories about their life there. She remembered that there were bears living in the rocks just southeast of the farm along the river. Their father Mikkel was a carpenter and handyman, and served as the family’s teacher, midwife, and doctor. They owned a book on medicine and they were rarely ill. They used the fat of snakes that they killed to create a kind of “universal medicine.” In particular, she remembered that it was applied to the skin to avoid frostbite. [7]
Braaten Farm
The family sold the farm in 1842 and moved forty kilometers south to the Braaten farm. [8] Part of the larger Bjørge farm, Braaten (pronounced BROH-tn) lay ten kilometers north-northeast of the city of Hamar (see map above). The name Braaten refers to land that had been cleared for cultivation by burning.
Children in Norway typically received the smallpox vaccination in the first year or two of life. First administered in Norway in 1801, the smallpox vaccine had a dramatic impact on death rates. This led, in part, to Norway’s 19th-century population explosion, a major cause of the mass emigration to the United States. [9] Proof that one had received the smallpox vaccination was required in order to be confirmed, married, or secure reputable employment. [10] But because Mikkel’s family was so remote on the Øya farm, it wasn’t until they moved to Braaten that he was vaccinated on 2 November 1842 at the unusually-late age of eight. [11] Mikkel was confirmed at the age of 15 on 30 September 1849 at the Vang Kirke. [12]
Vang Kirke, Hamar, Norway [13]Southern Vang Parish, Churches, Family-Associated Farms, and Documented Years of Residence
It was common for young people, upon reaching confirmation age, to leave home and begin earning their own living. As a young man, Mikkel lived and worked on the nearby Opsal and Kartomten farms. [14] Mikkel married Anne Tollefsdatter on 29 August 1857 when he was 23 and she was 26. [15] Anne was the daughter of Tollef Jensen (1801–1889) and Marte Poulsdatter (1802–1889). Prior to their marriage, however, there seems to have been some family drama. Anne, unmarried at the time, had given birth to a daughter, Severine, fathered by Mikkel’s eldest brother Gulbrand. Severine’s baptismal record states that while this was Anne’s first child born out of wedlock, this was the third such child fathered by Gulbrand. Severine was born in 1854 but lived only two years. [16] Mikkel and Anne wed the year after she died.
The family drama. See Mikkel’s full family tree below.
Nybakken, Slemsrud Farm
After their marriage, Mikkel and Anne lived on the Nybakken farm, part of the larger Slemsrud farm in Vang Parish. In addition to being a carpenter, Mikkel was a lease-holding tenant farmer. [17] Mikkel and Anne had three daughters: Mina (4 March 1859–14 November 1925), Severine (11 March 1862–5 July 1940 and likely named after Anne’s deceased first daughter), and Tonette (born 20 October 1864). [18]
Immigration
Like so many in Norway at the time, life was very difficult for the family. Dinner often consisted of nothing but boiled potato peelings, and they would often go to bed hungry. [19] The decision, which must have been difficult, was made to leave Norway and emigrate to America. Mikkel ventured first, traveling with his sister Sissel and her family. They departed Oslo on 15 April 1868, and endured a torturous 78-day journey aboard the SS Nornen. [20] Built in 1850, the Nornen was a three-masted bark, only 106 feet long and 28 feet wide, with just an upper and lower deck. [21] Crammed on board were 227 passengers. [22]
Immigrants were expected to bring their own provisions for the trip, enough for up to ten weeks. For each adult, they were to bring:
70 pounds hard bread (or the equivalent in soft or flatbread)
8 pounds butter
24 pounds meat
10 pounds bacon
1 small keg herring
2⅔ kegs potatoes
20 pounds rye and barley flour
½ bushel dried peas
½ bushel pearl barley
3 pounds coffee
3 pounds sugar
2½ pounds syrup
quantities of salt, pepper, vinegar, onions
water bucket, pot, kettle, dishes, cups, eating utensils, bedding, blankets, and clothing [23]
My aunt Mildred (Hovick) Monge (1907–2003), our late family historian, interviewed her mother, my maternal grandmother, Pauline (Braaten) Hovick (1884–1975), about her father Mikkel. Of the journey, Mildred wrote:
“Ahead of them were weeks onboard ship, crowded together with all the other passengers in very tight quarters with only blankets draped between families for a semblance of privacy. Seasickness plagued most of them, and with no clothes-washing facilities, the vomit and diarrhea dried on their clothing, causing a terrible stench in the airless quarters below deck. Their food, brought from home, became scarce toward the end of the trip and was often spoiled due to the lack of refrigeration. The women had to take turns at the stove in the ship’s kitchen cooking for their families after the ship’s cook had served the crew of sailors. Water was at a premium. The fear of sickness and death at sea was constant.” [24]
After a trip of just over eleven weeks (with food enough for ten), they finally arrived in Quebec on 6 July 1868. [26] After being processed through Grosse Île, Canada’s Ellis Island, immigrants often made their way to the United States via train or steamship, entering the country at Detroit. [27]
Routes of immigration: Mikkel in 1868, Anne in 1869 [28]Likely route from Quebec to the United States
Anne and the girls immigrated the following year. Mikkel, certainly not wanting them to experience the hell that he had on his crossing, paid for them to travel on a faster, combination sail-and-steam ship. They departed from Oslo on 24 July 1869 aboard the SS Oder, bound for Hull, England. After a train ride across the country, they departed Liverpool on 29 July aboard the SS Moravian and arrived in Quebec on 8 August, their trip taking a mere fifteen days. [29]
SS Moravian [30]
Minneapolis
From Detroit, Mikkel made his way to Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. Oral tradition holds that he quickly found work with a railroad company, and in that first year, presumably saved enough to pay for Anne and the girls to immigrate. He adopted the name of the Braaten farm as their new American surname. He filed his intent to become a naturalized citizen in Ramsey County, Minnesota on 5 April 1869. [31] In 1870, Mikkel worked as a “lumberman” (perhaps a railroad company carpenter), and they lived somewhere in Ward 3, just across the Mississippi River from downtown Minneapolis. [32]
In 1872, they moved 190 miles northwest to a farm outside of Fergus Falls in Friberg Township, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. [34] Nine years after arriving in the United States, he became a naturalized citizen on 21 November 1877. [35] In 1879, he was granted an 80-acre farm in Fergus Falls Township (see maps below). [36]
Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, MinnesotaBraaten farm, Fergus Falls Township, Otter Tail County, Minnesota [37]
The Pelican River flowed through their land, perhaps reminding him of his boyhood on the Åsta River. Mikkel and Anne had four more children: Martin (born May 1870 and died prior to 1872), Martin M. (23 July 1872–20 February 1943, and in keeping with Norwegian custom, he was named after his deceased older brother), August Henry (11 January 1875–21 March 1951), and Anne Maria (12 March 1877–28 January 1926). [38]
Anne died of cancer on 29 November 1882 at the age of 51, and is buried at First Lutheran North Cemetery, a few miles north of Fergus Falls. [39]
“Anne T. Braaten, Født den 8 June 1831, Døde den 29 November 1882, Fred over dit Støv. Velsignet over dit Minde.” [Translation: born 8 June 1831, died 29 November 1882, Peace over your dust (Rest in peace). Blessed be your memory.] First Lutheran Cemetery, Fergus Falls, Minnesota [40]
Waiting only four months after Anne’s death, Mikkel very quickly remarried, wedding a recent immigrant from Norway, a widow with five surviving children, Gunhild Mathea Johannesdatter Pedersen (1844–1921). [41] Known as Mathea, she was born in Vestby Parish, Viken County, the daughter of Johannes Andersen (1797–1858) and Kirstine Andreasdatter (1818–1905). Mikkel and Mathea met when Mikkel delivered milk to the farm on which she was working. She had only been able to immigrate with her youngest daughter, Ragnhild Lydia (1876–1956), leaving her four older children back in Norway. Before agreeing to marry him, she insisted that Mikkel agree to pay to bring the remaining children from Norway. [42] He agreed, and they were wed on 2 April 1883 when she was 38 and he was 49. Together they had two more children: my maternal grandmother, Inger Pauline (29 January 1884–15 August 1975), and Johan Arndt (16 June 1886–3 February 1887). [43]
My aunt Mildred wrote:
“Mama Pauline smiled as she talked about Mikkel, her father. He had a flute which he carried around with him as he worked, and she remembers seeing him leaning against a tree during rest periods with his flute, trilling forth variations of his own well-known melodies. The children loved to listen.” [44]
Due to Mikkel’s asthma and emphysema, they sold their farm and bought a home on the outskirts of Fergus Falls in 1891. [45] When they moved, they kept two cows for their milk supply and two horses for transportation. By 1899, he had become the town’s official street sprinkler, driving a large water tank pulled by his two horses (see below). [46]
Mildred wrote:
“In those days, the streets were just plain dirt, turning to mud after a rain. In order to keep the dust at a minimum nuisance level, a wagon filled with water was drawn up and down, back and forth on all the streets in town. Children cheered whenever he came down the street, daring each other to see how close they could get to the sprinkler attachment on the rear of the wagon without running home with soaked clothes.” [47]
Mikkel Braaten, Official Street Sprinkler, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, ca. 1899 [48]
Mikkel died on 29 January 1901 at the age of 66 from pneumonia, complicated by his asthma and emphysema. [49] Mikkel, alongside Mathea and their youngest son Johan, are buried in unmarked graves in the Bethlehem Cemetery in Fergus Falls. [50]
[1] Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 9, 1826–1841, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 99, line 115, baptism of Michel 8 June 1834; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/9060/104 : accessed 8 July 2020).
[2] For base map, Kartverket (www.norgeskart.no). Details added by author.
[3] Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 9, 1826–1841, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 99, line 115, baptism of Michel 8 June 1834.
[7] Stensrud and Tomter, Vangsboka Nr. 3, 464. Stories related by Eli Mikkelsdatter to Anders Gjørsli, recorded by historian Reidar Bækkelund (1922–2007).
[8] Ibid.
[9] For vaccine, Hanne Jakobsen, “The Epidemic That Was Wiped Out,” Science Nordic (sciencenordic.com/epidemic-was-wiped-out : accessed 5 August 2019). For causes of population increase, Ingrid Gaustad Semmingsen, “Norwegian Emigration to America During the Nineteenth Century,” Norwegian-American Historical Association (www.naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume11/vol11_5.htm : accessed 5 August 2019).
[10] Solveig Schavland Quinney, Norwegian American Genealogical Center, Madison, Wisconsin, interview by David Hovick Lohman, 6 May 2016.
[11] Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 10, 1841–1855, Vaksinerte [Vaccinated], p. 439, line 70, vaccination of Michel Michelsen, 2 November 1842; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8840/447 : accessed 8 July 2020).
[12] Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 10, 1841–1855, Konfirmente [Confirmed], p. 215, line 22, confirmation of Mikkel, 30 September 1849; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8840/42893/36 : accessed 8 July 2020).
[13] David Hovick Lohman, 5 September 2016
[14] For Mikkel’s residence at Opsal (Opsahl), he served as witness for the baptism of Anne’s daughter Severine. See Note 12. For Mikkel’s residence at Kartomten at time of marriage, see Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Viede [Married], p. 228, line 16, marriage of Mikel Mikelsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, 29 August 1857; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8841/227 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Church Book for Vang Parish 1855–1870 (0414Q), Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/327/pv00000001026178 : accessed 8 July 2020).
[15] Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Viede [Married], p. 228, line 16, marriage of Mikel Mikelsen and Anne Tollefsdatter, 29 August 1857.
[16] Baptism, see Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 10, 1841–1855, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 262, line 20, baptism of Syverine, 22 December 1855; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/8840/42889/190 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Church Book for Vang Parish 1855–1870 (0141Q) (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000012920939 : accessed 8 July 2020). Death, see Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Døde og Begravede [Died and Buried], p. 299, line 8, death of Syverine Gudbrands, 26 December 1856; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8841/277 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Church Book for Vang Parish 1855–1870 (0414Q), (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/267/pg00000000252941 : accessed 8 July 2020).
[17] 1865 census for Norway, Hedmark county, Vang parish, census district 010 Opsahl, image 287, line 6 (unnumbered), Nybakken farm, Mikkel Mikkelsen household; digital images, Digitalarkivet (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/38032/287 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Digitalarkivet, 18xx census for 0414L Vang/Vang og Furnes, census district 010 Opsahl, rural residence 0109 Nybakken, transcription; www.digitalarkivet.no/census/person/pf01038032009127 : accessed 8 July). Mikkel is listed as a husmand med Jord (cotter or tenant farmer with land) and a tømmermand (carpenter).
[18] For Mina, Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 53, line 69, baptism of Mina, 1 May 1859; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (https://media.digitalarkivet.no/view/8841/42902/49 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Ministerialbok Vang prestegjeld, Vang sokn 1855–1870 (0414Q), (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (www.digitalarkivet.no/view/255/pd00000011395666 : accessed 8 July 2020). For Severine, Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 94, line 83, baptism of Severine, 20 July 1862; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/8841/42902/90 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Church Book for Vang Parish 1855–1870 (0414Q), (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000011399276 : accessed 8 July 2020). For Tonetta, Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Ministerialbok nr. 12, 1855–1870, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 131, line 55, baptism of Tonetta, 19 November 1865; digital images, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (media.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/8841/132 : accessed 8 July 2020). For transcription, see Church Book for Vang Parish 1855–1870 (0141Q) (Hedmark, Norway); transcription, Digital Archives of Norway (media.digitalarkivet.no/view/1495/67278/103 : accessed 8 July 2020). Also, Vang Parish (Hedmark, Norway), Klokkerbok nr. 10a, 1854–1896, Fødte og Døpte [Born and Baptized], p. 190, line 128, baptism of Tonetta, 19 November 1865; digital items, National Archives of Norway, Digitized Parish Registers (www.digitalarkivet.no/en/view/255/pd00000011402770 : accessed 8 July).
[19] Mildred Hovick Monge, “Remember,” family history, 1974; “Remember,” blog entry, Hovick Lohman History, blog (hovicklohmanhistory.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/remember/ : accessed 30 August 2020), pdf, pt. 1, ch. 4, “Recollections with Pauline,” p. 45 (printed).
[26] “Canadian Passenger Lists, 1865–1935,” 6 July 1868, list 59, SS Nornen, page 2, line 19 (unnumbered), Mikkel M Braaten; digital images, Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020) > Quebec, Quebec > 1868 > July > image 57; citing Library and Archives Canada microfilm series RG 76-C, roll C-4523.
[27] Odd S. Lovell, Across the Deep Blue Sea: The Sage of Early Norwegian Immigrants: From Norway to America Through the Canadian Gateway (Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2015), 37, 145.
[31] Ramsey County, Minnesota, naturalization intent form, Mikkel Braaten, 5 April 1869; photocopy, author’s personal collection, 1995.
[32] 1870 U.S. census, Hennepin County, Minnesota, population schedule, Minneapolis Ward 3, p. 48 (penned), dwell. 248, fam. 820, line 28, Michel Gortheen [sic] household; digital images, Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020), citing NARA microfilm publication M582, roll 132.
[33] Map of the City of Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota (Minneapolis: Cutler & Craves, 1873.) Details added by author.
[34] “Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Fergus Falls, Minn.) 1882–1938,” Chronicling America, (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025227/1899-06-22/ed-1/seq-3/ : accessed 20 July 2020), 22 June 1899, image 3, column 3. Article “Old Settlers Association” cites his arrival in Friberg Township in 1872.
[35] “Minnesota, Naturalization Records Index, 1854–1957,” final papers, Mekel Braaten; Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020), citing 1877–1880, reel 4, code 11, volume C, page 25, numbers 1–378.
[36] “Land Patent Search,” images, General Land Office Records (glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx# : accessed 8 July 2020, Mikkel Braaden, Otter Tail County, Minnesota, document no. 2498.
[38] For birth of Martin (the elder), 1870 U.S. census, Hennepin County, Minnesota, population schedule, Minneapolis Ward 3, p. 48 (penned), dwell. 248, fam. 820, line 28, Michel Gortheen [sic] household. For Martin M, Hennepin County, Minnesota, Births 1872, p. 34, line 212, male child, 23 July 1872; digital images, “Minnesota, County Birth Records, 1863–1983,” FamilySearch (familysearch.org : accessed 8 July 2020). For August Henry, “Ministerialbog, for Den Evang. Luth. Kongeberg Menighed, Ottertail, Co. Minn. (Ministerial Records, Kongsberg Lutheran Church, Otter Tail County, Minnesota), 1872–1918,” Døbte (Baptized), p. 3, 1875, line 3, August Henry, 18 May 1875; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020). For Anne Maria, ibid., p. 4, 1877, line 3, 20 May 1877; image 514. Kongsberg later merged with another congregation to form Bethlehem, as referred to in the database. See “Welcome,” Bethlehem Lutheran Church (bethlehemff.org/welcome.html#history : accessed 22 March 2019), para. 5.
[39] Find A Grave (findagrave.com/memorial/40783571 : accessed 8 July 2020), memorial 40783571, Anne T. Braaten (1831–1882), citing First Lutheran North Cemetery; memorial created by Churndash, maintained by David Hovick Lohman.
[40] David Hovick Lohman, 13 June 2016.
[41] “Ministerialbog, for Den Evang. Luth. Kongeberg Menighed, Ottertail, Co. Minn. (Ministerial Records, Kongsberg Lutheran Church, Otter Tail County, Minnesota), 1872–1918,” Ægteviede (Married), p. 56, line 6, marriage of Mikkel Braaten and Mrs. M. Pedersen, 2 April 1883; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020).
[42] Kay Pederson Cripe to David Hovick Lohman, email, 29 July 2020; privately held by author. Kay is granddaughter of Mathea’s son August Hjalmer Pederson (1870–1943).
[43] For birth of Inger Pauline, ibid., Døbte (Baptized), p. 9, line 21, birth of Inger Pauline, 29 January 1884; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020). For birth of Johan, ibid., Døbte (Baptized), p. 14, line 36, birth of Johan Arnt, 16 June 1886; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020). For death of Johan, ibid., Jordfæstede (Buried), p. 65, line 36, death of Johan Arnt, 3 February 1887; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (www.ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020).
[44] Mildred Hovick Monge, “Remember,” family history, 1974; “Remember,” blog entry, Hovick Lohman History, blog (hovicklohmanhistory.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/remember/ : accessed 30 August 2020), pdf, pt. 1, ch. 4, “Recollections with Pauline,” p. 47 (printed).
[46] “Seventy-Five Years Ago – 1899,” Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 8 April 1974, p. 4, col. 5, para. 3. This 1974 article quotes the 22 April 1899 issue.
[47] Monge, “Remember,” 47.
[48] Mikkel Braaten, official street sprinkler, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, ca. 1899; digital image, author’s private collection. Enhanced and colorized by MyHeritage.com.
[49] Otter Tail County, Minnesota, death certificate, Mikkel Brosten, 28 January 1901; photocopy, “Hovick Genealogy, vol. I,” binder, author’s private collection, 1995. Also, “Death of Mikkel Brotten,” obituary, Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 28 January 1901, p. 3; photocopy, “Hovick Genealogy, vol. I,” binder, author’s private collection, 2016. Also, Congregational Records, Bethlehem Lutheran, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, Jordfestede (Buried), p. 58 (stamped), 1901, line 1, Mickel Braaten, 28 January 1901; digital images, “U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in American Church Records, 1781–1969,” Ancestry (ancestry.com : accessed 8 July 2020).
[50] Find A Grave (findagrave.com/memorial/199769039 : accessed 8 July 2020), memorial 199769039, Mikkel Mikkelsen Braaten (1834–1901), citing Bethlehem Lutheran Cemetery; memorial created and maintained by David Hovick Lohman.
[51] Family tree, Mikkel Mikkelsen Braaten (1834–1901); created by David Hovick Lohman.
These articles reveal a good neighbor, a dedicated dairy farmer, an advocate, even a bereaved parent, and finally, a man respected and grieved by his community.
Mikkel Mikkelsen Braaten (1834–1901)
Introduction
During my first visit to the Otter Tail County Historical Society in 2016, I learned that Fergus Falls had had two Norwegian-language newspapers, the Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Weekly Magazine), published 1883–1946, and the Rodhuggeren (The Radical), published 1893–1898.
I wondered if my ancestors had ever been mentioned in those pages. But, given the available technology (microfilm), the only way to find out would have required a laborious page-by-page, column-by-column search—a practical impossibility, particularly as I knew absolutely no Norwegian at the time (well, besides uff da). That all changed when I learned about Chronicling America at the Library of Congress. [1] This ongoing project is digitizing and making searchable historic, out-of-print newspapers from across the country. And luckily, the Ugeblad and the Rodhuggeren are now available. (The Fergus Falls Daily Journal, the English-language newspaper, is not yet searchable, so the tidbits about our family it may contain are still unknown.)
With this new technological advance, searching for my great-grandparents, Mikkel Mikkelsen Braaten (1834–1901) and Gunhild Mathea Johannesdatter Pedersen Braaten (1844–1921), brought up more than I had hoped for. The articles that follow are those that mention Mikkel. Mathea and their daughter (and my grandmother) Inger Pauline will be the focus of later posts. One of the wonderful things about small-town newspapers is that they can write about mundane events of daily life in ways that big-city newspapers cannot.
A few notes on what you will be seeing. Norwegian-language newspapers of the time were written in an archaic, highly Danish-influenced form of Norwegian, and printed using a florid Gothic font. [2] I have tried to retain some of the sentence structure from the original Norwegian. The results are a bit awkward at times in English, but it retains a flavor of the Norwegian language. Tusen takk to Britta Augdahl who helped polish up my translations.
Over the course of his life, my great-grandfather appeared in the newspaper thirty-five times. The first was in 1886, the last being shortly after his death in 1901. These articles shed invaluable light on his daily life during those fifteen years. They reveal a good neighbor, a dedicated dairy farmer, an advocate, even a bereaved parent, and finally, a man respected and grieved by his community.
Mikkel Braaten from Section 18 of Fergus Falls Town[ship] declares that he has lived here – hasn’t it been 8 years – and so far he has not had another way from his home that does not lie over marshes and swamps. He cannot travel with horse and a large load except at the driest times of summer or when it is frozen in winter. And this stretch of road can only be called a road, insofar as it has once been designated a road, but has never been worked on. Now, it has also been decided to move that stretch of road completely. Regardless of all this, one has never failed to get Mr. Braaten’s assistance with road work, even when it would be of no use to him.
Mr. Braaten has striven to get the road laid out, but nothing is done.
Earlier this year, there was a lot of interest in the creation of a dairy factory here in the city. And now, Mr. D. C. Chase has created one. Perhaps now is the time to take stock and see how it goes and to determine how many [dairy farmers] supply milk to this new enterprise. The milk supply has been in steady growth, so yesterday 2,950 pounds were delivered. 192 pieces of cheese have now been made, or a total of 6,800 pounds.
The following is a list of those who deliver milk to the dairy:
[list]
Mikkel Braaten
[list continues]
If there is anyone who wishes to know what advantage there is to supplying milk to the dairy, he will probably be able to receive a message from one or another of the above-mentioned gentlemen.
― The youngest child in Mikkel Braaten’s family, a boy of about seven months, died last Thursday of a fifteen-day illness. He was a nimble and strong little boy and will therefore be missed so much more. The funeral will take place tomorrow, Thursday, leaving the house of the bereaved around 11:30 a.m.
Note:
This was Mikkel and Mathea’s youngest child, Johan Arndt, born 16 June 1886 and died 3 February 1887. He was named after the German Lutheran theologian, Johann Arndt (1555–1621). He is buried in an unmarked grave alongside his parents in Bethlehem Cemetery in Fergus Falls.
Gratitude from Grieving Parents
16 February 1887, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
For absent relatives and friends, it is announced that our youngest child, Johan Arndt, died on the 3rd of February, at the age of 7 months and 15 days. To those who were so kind to attend the funeral, we hereby submit our heartfelt thanks.
― A vagabond came to the home of Mikkel Braaten in the town[ship] of Fergus Falls on Monday evening. He asked to borrow a spoon to take some medicine. And when this wish was fulfilled, he had a good time, got fed, and stayed the night. On Tuesday, he laid down all day and had dinner brought to him, but in the evening got up and ate. He hadn’t asked to, but he stayed, and no one forbade him because he was ill. He was thus also in the house the next night, but on Wednesday morning, when he had eaten lunch, he went on his way. On the same day, he was supposed to have come here to the city. After he had left, one of Mikkel Braaten’s daughters discovered that he had taken some savings which she had kept in a suitcase in the room next to where he had been lying. A simple but new tobacco pipe was also missing after he left. ― Grateful people, these vagabonds!
— Two small unknown calves have arrived at Mikkel Braaten’s in the town[ship] of Fergus Falls and are asked to be picked up. An unknown heifer, which for three weeks was mixed among Braaten’s cattle, was picked up by a couple of people who went to great lengths not to reveal their names or speak to anyone.
“Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Fergus Falls, Minn.) 1882–1938,” Chronicling America, (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025227/1887-05-18/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 20 July 2020), 18 May 1887, image 4, column 4.
Wagons for the Church Picnic
20 July 1887, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
The Conference Congregation School Picnic last Sunday was a very successful affair, apart from the financial side of it. About 100 children and quite a few adults participated, and everyone had fun and enjoyed themselves the best. People left the city around 9 o’clock. Three wagons from J. S. Billings & Co. took most of the children and some adults. Two of these wagons were appointed for hay transport, so there was room for many. One had four mules strapped on. Mr. Mikkel Braaten from the town[ship] of Fergus Falls was also out with three wagons and took many, and grocer Sivert Lee made a three-seater buggy and two horses available.
“Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Fergus Falls, Minn.) 1882–1938,” Chronicling America, (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025227/1887-07-20/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 20 July 2020), 20 July 1887, image 4, column 2.
Gratitude for the Wagons
20 July 1887, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
The Sunday School gives its heart-felt thanks to J. S. Billings & Co., Mr. Mikkel Braaten, and Mr. Sivert Lee for their helpful assistance by providing horses and vehicles to use at our disposal. Further, thanks to Mr. L. A. Berge, who kindly left room, as well as one boat to use as well.
“Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Fergus Falls, Minn.) 1882–1938,” Chronicling America, (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025227/1887-07-20/ed-1/seq-4/ : accessed 20 July 2020), 20 July 1887, image 4, column 2.
Mikkel Hosts Threshing
5 October 1887, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Threshing is cut
Peter Halsnes threshed 1,023 bushels of wheat in five hours at the home of Mikkel Braaten in the town[ship] of Fergus Falls.
Mr. Knud Bondy from Clitherall got 35 bushels of wheat per acre from 8 acres of land. When it was time to thresh, it seemed that there were many who wanted to try it out on the wheat. Knud Overland tried and hit 18 bushels in 5 minutes. Kolbjørn Mortensen threshed 17 bushels in the same time, and Martin Knudsen did 16½ bushels.
Knud then thought that it was time for him to start and that, of course, he would surpass them all. But by then, the stack of wheat was gone.
“Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Fergus Falls, Minn.) 1882–1938,” Chronicling America, (chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83025227/1887-10-05/ed-1/seq-8/ : accessed 20 July 2020), 5 October 1887, image 8, column 2.
Mikkel Concerned Over Dairy Shortage
19 October 1887, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
— Mikkel Braaten from the town[ship] of Fergus Falls is one of those who is most concerned about the cheese factory, says the cheese maker down here. The cheese factory has for some time received milk only every other day, since there are such small quantities which can be delivered. The operation will soon be stopped for this year.
— When Mikkel Braaten from Fergus Falls Town[ship] was down here the other day to sell potatoes, he had the misfortune to slide with one leg as he was carrying in a sack of potatoes at the home of Peter Gunerius. It was so painful that Braaten thought that he had broken his leg. It was not broken, however, and the pain went away after a while, so it seemed like it was all going to be over soon, but we heard yesterday that Mr. Braaten has not been able to get outside the house since that time, and it is now almost four weeks. He cannot walk in the slightest but must either lie down or sit in a chair.
Currently, the farmers have probably been too busy to give any attention to Market Days. We have not heard anything more about numbers, whether they want one or two days’ admission. Mikkel Braaten is the only one who has spoken up. He says there is no doubt that one day is better than two. That way, everyone will gather on the same day and will know what must be accomplished. There will be no unwise Benten, which may lead to more expenses and more waste of time. According to him, a few years ago in Wilmar, there was only one market day at a time, and they found this to be important.
Note:
Perhaps “Benten” refers to a financially unsuccessful market day (county fair, perhaps?) held in Benton County, Minnesota.
— Both Mr. and Mrs. Julius Pederson of Fergus Falls are terribly ill. Likewise, a little girl at the home of Mikkel Braaten and an approximately twelve-year-old boy at the home of Ole Holte are both seriously ill.
Note:
The only little girl in their household at the time was their daughter, Inger Pauline (my maternal grandmother), who would have been five years old.
— At the home of Mikkel Braaten in the town of Fergus Falls, some of the harvest can be obtained if the owner receives a third of the hay caught in stacks.
Note:
The same issue contained a notice that Mikkel’s farm was for sale, due to his failing health (see below).
Approximately 230 acres in Fergus Falls Town[ship], Otter Tail County, Minn., with or without crops and livestock. 70 acres have been sown, 23 acres will soon be sown with millet. 8 horses, 27 dairy cows, and some young cattle. Good houses, enough forest for your own use. Opportunities for brickwork and milling. Sale is due to increasingly frail health. Further information by inquiry to the owner, Mikkel Braaten, Fergus Falls, Minn.
Note: The same ad ran the following weeks on 15 and 22 July 1891.
— There are many complaints from the [vagabonds?] that influenza is appearing again. In many places, almost the entire family is ill, so that it is difficult to care for the cattle. The towns of Elizabeth, Pelican Rapids, and Eagle Lake have reported much illness. Last week, Mikkel Braaten from Fergus Falls Town[ship] was so ill that his life was considered to be in danger. It was influenza that had spread to pneumonia.
— A daughter of Mikkel Braaten writes home from Beltrami County, where her husband has acquired a piece of land under a different set of laws, and says that there is still quite a bit of land yet unoccupied. Grain and fish are in abundance. The settlement discussed here lies 95 miles from Fosston, 100 miles from Red Lake Falls, and 150 miles from Fergus Falls. It is 30 miles to the nearest post office in St. Agnes.
— Henry Braaten, son of Mikkel Braaten, was ill-tempered for a while here in the city on Monday. He thought that he had lost his money book containing $55 of his own money and a wheat check for about $29 which belonged to his father. In a moment, however, he found the book in another pocket, and after this happy discovery, there has not been a happier man than Henry in Fergus Falls.
Some farmers in this county, including Mikkel Braaten, have each brought individual lawsuits against the Great Northern Railroad and demanded compensation for the company’s failure to fence off the track. The jury awarded Mr. Braaten $500, but the decision will be appealed to the Supreme Court. In H. C. Johnson’s similar case, the jurors could not agree.
Note:
This money would be worth over $15,000 in 2020. It is unknown whether or not this case was taken up by the Supreme Court.
Concordia Women’s Association will hold a party and auction at the home of A. Anderson Quam in the town of Fergus Falls on June 24th at 10 a.m. The revenue is for the church of Salt Lake City. Free dinner will be served, while ice cream and lemonade can be obtained for a reasonable payment; Carlisle Music Corp will play, and there will also be speakers present. This is the same meeting that was previously held at the home of Mikkel Braaten.
— Mikkel Braaten has purchased the home of D. Burbank in the northwest part of the city and will move into it this week. Mr. Burbank will also live there for a while until he has built a new home.
At the adjourned meeting Thursday the council also agreed on downtown streets that will be sprinkled this coming summer. The bid of Mikkel Braaten to cover the sprinkling route for $2.50 a day was accepted. Alderman O’Hara said the bid was too low and he did not believe in paying such wages.
“Seventy-Five Years Ago – 1899,” Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 8 April 1974, p. 4, col. 5, para. 3. This 1974 article quotes the 22 April 1899 issue.
Mikkel Braaten, Official Street Sprinkler, Fergus Falls, Minnesota, ca. 1899
Old Settlers Association
22 June 1899, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
A majority of those who first settled in this county met here last Thursday to participate in the 2nd annual meeting of the “Old Settlers’ Association.”
There were so many, both from the city and the country, that the courthouse hall was full and there was not enough room for everyone.
The band from Dalton was present and provided music, and furthermore, there was singing by a choir consisting of young people from here.
President E.W. Dewey held the main party-speech and after that, Colonel Marden and Pastor Craig spoke for a short time.
Three of the Association’s members had passed away during the year, namely Osgood Abley, Oliver Oliverson, and Dr. Solly.
H.A. Bickford was appointed to write an appropriate obituary for Mr. Adley, Lars Nelson for Mr. Oliverson, and Mrs. Burns for Dr. Solly.
The following members were admitted into the Association. (The years shown indicate when they came to the place mentioned for each.):
[list]
Mikkel Braaten, Friberg, 1872.
[list continues]
The Association’s constitution was amended so that all who live in this county who came to Minnesota before 1858 may become members.
It was decided to hold the next annual meeting in Pelican Rapids or somewhere nearby.
The following officials were elected:
[list]
Hon. H. P. Bjørge gave a speech reminiscing on the many adventures of the early settlers:
Bjørge’s father lived with his family in the vicinity of what is now Evansville, and the supply of provisions was completely exhausted. A trap was set to see if some wild animals could be caught. After a short time when the trap was checked, and a silver fox was discovered. It is a rare animal, and they sold it at the trader’s, the one in Brandon, and were so astonished to hear that it was worth $35. Mr Bjørge then informed us that the man who owned the store and bought the fox was the secretary of the association, George F. Cowing. Mr. Cowing informed us that he also remembers this incident and often asks himself if Bjørge was one of the boys that caught the fox.
Death of Mikkel Braaten, obituary, Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 28 January 1901, p. 3, unknown column; photocopy, “Hovick Genealogy, vol. I,” binder, author’s private collection, 2016.
Polly Brotten to Return Home for Father’s Funeral
28 January 1901, Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Polly Brotten to return home, Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 28 January 1901, p. 3, unknown column; photocopy, “Hovick Genealogy, vol. I,” binder, author’s private collection, 2016.
Sad News of Mikkel’s Death
29 January 1901, Fergus Falls Daily Journal
Sad news of Mikkel Braaten’s death, Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 29 January 1901, p. 2, unknown column; photocopy, “Hovick Genealogy, vol. I,” binder, author’s private collection, 2016.
Mikkel’s Norwegian-Language Obituary
31 January 1901, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
— The news of unexpected mourning has come close to the city today. It was barely known that Mikkel Braaten was ill with pneumonia in his home in the northwestern part of the city before Monday morning when it was made known that he had already died at approximately 2:30 in the morning. He was sick last Thursday morning. Apparently, his health had been bad for a long time, yet he was out and worked right up until his death. Our deceased neighbor was sixty-seven years old. He was from Hamar in Norway, had been in the United States for fifty-six years, and in Fergus Falls and the surrounding area for twenty-eight. He had nothing more than a single house when he first came here. He leaves a wife from his second marriage, six children from his first marriage, and from his second marriage, a girl who has just been confirmed. Of siblings, he has a brother who lives near Crookston. He has two married daughters who live near here, Mrs. Nils Gorden, who lives in the third ward, and Mrs. Mathias Halden, who lives north of town. The funeral shall take place departing the house tomorrow at 1:00, and from Our Savior’s Church at 2:00.
Note:
The article is incorrect in stating that he had been in the United States for fifty-six years. He arrived in 1868, so he had lived in the U.S. for thirty-three years. The paper would correct their error in the following issue (see below).
— The funeral of Mikkel Braaten took place last Friday afternoon at the Our Savior’s Church. He was laid at the church cemetery to the south of the city. The service was conducted by Pastor Tjørnhom.
It was a misunderstanding when last week we stated that he had been in America for fifty-six years. It was actually thirty-two years ago this summer since he came. His daughter, Mrs. Louis Thompson of Hillsboro, N.D., is still here following the funeral. We mentioned last week that Mrs. Math. Halden and Mrs. N.L. Gorden are daughters of the deceased. Two of his sons, namely Martin and Henry Braaten, work at the Hospital. Daughter Pauline, the youngest, came home from the Norwegian Deaconess Home in Chicago, and was still home as of a few days ago.
Note:
Mikkel is buried in an unmarked grave, alongside his wife Mathea and their son Johan Arndt, in Bethlehem Cemetery in Fergus Falls.
Had this been during an epidemic, it would not have been strange, However, it was not. First Peder Ellesseth died of tuberculosis. Soon after, Mikkel Braaten died of pneumonia, followed by young Julius Bye of encephalitis, and most recently, Christ. Gunerius, church singer, killed in an accident. Special encouragement to all to to and prepare his house.
My mother’s oldest sister, Mildred Ingeborg Hovick Monge (1907-2003), whom we called Aunt Mimi, was talented, funny, smart, and loving. She was a pianist, organist, teacher, and our family historian. The stories she shared of our ancestors ignited my own passion for genealogy. I owe it all to her.
Mildred Hovick Monge (1907–2003)
What began in 1928 as an assignment while a student at St. Olaf College became a life-long obsession. Here is the original family tree that she began that year, now discolored and fragile with age:
To celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary with my Uncle Harold Monge (1909–1984), she created Remember, a collection of family histories of both the Hovick and Monge families.
Remember, 1974
This collection of oral history is a family treasure, telling the stories of generations of our family. Here it is, available online.
Ten years later, over the course of 1984-1990, she wrote what was to become Niblits and Bits, published when she was 83 years old. Unlike the epic scope of her earlier work, this was a collection of intimate stories. These are the tales of her childhood, growing up in and outside of the small town of Madison, Minnesota.
It gives a remarkable view of daily life in the early 1900’s. Detailed descriptions of their homes and furnishings.
Sneaking off with a friend to investigate a nearby house under construction where she fell from the second floor to the cement slab of the basement – and walked away unscathed.
1918 was a big year. The dam at Big Stone Lake broke, flooding farm lands for miles. Mim, age eleven, had her first piano recital in a matter of days, but the farm was separated from town by a mile of open water. So my grandfather and his brothers fashioned a raft to ferry the budding pianist to her auspicious debut.
It was also that year that she and her sister Signe survived the Spanish Flu pandemic.
And there’s one particular story about an old oil lamp. She was told that she could have a keepsake from the old family farm house, and she chose the oil lamp. And that lamp is now with me.
Hovick Lohman History 