In 1909, my maternal grandmother, Inger Pauline (Braaten) Hovick (1884–1975), won first prize in a Christmas story-writing contest, held by what I believe was called Young Ben magazine (research has not revealed any such magazine). The story is likely an idealized, fictional account inspired by her years working as a Lutheran Deaconess Sister and nurse at the Deaconess Hospital in Chicago from 1900–1903.
A Christmas at a Hospital
By Pauline Hovick
In a quiet but happy hospital, quiet because so many sick lay within its walls who needed rest; and happy, because love seemed to reign supreme within that sisterhood who so lovingly and patiently administered to the needs of the suffering ones. Preparations were being made for the arrival of the seventh Christmas Eve in the history of this hospital. Three sisters were in the diet-kitchen on second floor, busily preparing decorations for the coming event, when suddenly, the tap of a bell was heard summoning Sister Dora to the bedside of a little boy in ward number two.
Before Sister could ask what was wanted, the boy exclaimed, “Oh, Sister! Dr. Scott was just here and told me I may go home for Christmas!” “Did he,” exclaimed Sister? “We’re so sorry to see you leave us. We have become so accustomed to the smiling face in bed number twelve, that the absence of it will make us feel so lonely. You know, Joseph dear, you’re called the ‘Sunshine’ of the hospital, and when the sun ceases to shine, everything becomes so dreary. But then our loss will be your gain. Anything to make you happy.”
No wonder our Sister expressed herself thus, for this little patient of twelve had endeared himself to the hearts of all who came in contact with him. Here he had lain for three long months, patiently bearing all the pains caused by that dreaded disease, tuberculosis of the hip, obedient to all rules and appreciative of any little kindness shown him. Sister then turned his pillow and reached for his glass of water to give him a drink. But the touch of the glass told her the water was not fresh. So, stepping lightly into the hall, she soon returned with a pitcher of fresh water, emptied every glass, and refilled them with sparkling cold drink, speaking a cheerful word to each patient as she moved along.
Coming again to the boy’s bed, her experienced eye soon detected something was wrong. There was a flush upon the otherwise so-pale cheeks, and his eyes had become dull. Giving him a smile just to hide her own anxiety, she left him. But in a moment she was back again, the thermometer in one hand and her watch in the other. Joseph’s condition was soon clear to her: a rapid pulse and a high temperature caused by overjoy. The thought of coming home for Christmas had so excited the little nerves, as to bring on this sudden change. Sister, again hiding all her emotions beneath a smile, stroked his forehead and again disappeared, this time, returning to the two Sisters. She exclaimed in a low voice as she entered, “Sisters. Sisters. Joseph is worse!” “Our Sunshine worse and just before Christmas,” cried the others. “What’s the cause of his relapse? Let’s call doctor quickly.” Sister Dora told them how intensely happy their patient had become over the thought of coming back to Papa and Mama for Christmas eve. “Now Sister,” she said, “you know how painful it will be to see him, our dear patient, so sorely disappointed. He has always been so good. Oh, that all were like him, what agonies of heart we’d be spared! Let us pray.”
There. in their private kitchen, three Sisters knelt in earnest prayer, beseeching the Almighty Father to restore sick little Joseph. The prayers ended, Sister Dora, our Sister on duty commanded, “Come, Sisters. Leave your work and come with me. We must do something to give him entire rest. Private room number seven is vacant; let us carefully move him in there. But remember, not one of us must intimate to him that we believe he is worse. Sister Alice, go prepare his bed, and you,” turning to Sister Melba, “come with me.”
Reaching little Joseph’s bed, Sister Dora bent over him, her eyes beaming with love, saying, “Now, Joseph, we want to honor you today by moving you into one of our nicest rooms. We’ll carry you on our arms, just like Jesus did with the little lamb, you remember.” Little Joseph just smiled a faint smile as he laid his head on the pillow in this most beautifully furnished room. “You are always so good to me,” he whispered. “I…” Here Sister interrupted him by saying, “There, there, never mind throwing bouquets at us now. What I want you to do is to lay down and sleep. You are tired, dear boy, and a nap will do you good.” “I’ll try, if you will hold my hand, Sister, as you used to when I was so awfully sick, you know,” said Joseph. “Yes, indeed,” answered Sister! And let me bathe your forehead just like this, and you’ll see how sweetly you’ll sleep. “At least I hope so,” she thought to herself. Thus, fulfilling his wishes in her quiet, reserved way, he was, after short while, asleep. But care must now be taken not to disturb the slumbering one. How anxiously she watched him as he lay there, at first restless but becoming more and more quiet. Sister Dora’s main thought was, “Oh, that our darling boy, after a perfect rest, might be strong enough to go home. He must not be disappointed.” Her hands folded and she prayed, but always adding at the close of each prayer, “Thy will, oh Lord, be done.”
She had now kept constant watch over him for three successive hours, but the time had not seemed long to her. Love lightens all labor! She heard the other patients were given their evening meal and knew that the Sisters would soon assemble in their dining-room for theirs. But our faithful Dora did not even think of leaving the room. She has given strict orders that under no circumstances must the door to this room be opened, for fear of disturbing Joseph, if he should fall asleep. “I do hope he will sleep till morning,” thought Sister! “I am hungry, I must confess, but that matters not. My only wish is to see Joseph well, even better than he was this morning.”
At midnight he awakened. At the sight of Sister Dora keeping watch over him, he was at first a little surprised. But Sister, in her tactful way, said, “I was afraid you’d be lonesome in here alone the first night, that’s all. Here’s a drink of water. You’ll try and sleep some more, won’t you dear?” “But l haven’t said my prayers tonight, Sister. May l say them first,” asked Joseph? Whereupon he folded the once so cubby hands but now so poor and thin, and prayed, “Now l lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep…” Here he ended, his eyes had closed and he was again asleep. “Lord, thou art good,” thought Sister. “Thou givest the weary rest.” The hours wore on, the hands on her watch told her it was five o’clock. A few minutes later, her patient awoke, a rested boy he was, but a weak one. His face and hands were bathed, his whole body made comfortable and a nourishing food given.
As soon as the doctor arrived in the morning. Sister Dora called him aside and told him about Joseph and the precaution she had taken.
Patting her on the shoulder, Dr. Scott, in his fatherly way said, “Sister, you’re worth your weight in gold.” “Oh no,” replied Sister. “But you know our motto is: ‘Count that day lost whose low descending sun views from thy hands no worthy action done.’” “Very beautiful,” said the doctor. “Hereafter that’s to be my motto, too. Now, come, let’s go to number seven.”
“Good morning, merry sunshine,” was the doctor’s greeting to Joseph. “You deserve a room like this for your smiles alone. How are you, my little man?” “I am all right, doctor, but I feel so weak. I’m afraid you won’t let me go home today, now.” Doctor thought for a moment and replied, “I cannot keep the promise I gave you yesterday. You’re too weak to travel all the way home. I’ll tell you what we’ll do. I’ll send for your Papa and Mama, and they’ll come and spend Christmas with you. Now, you just imagine,” continued doctor, “that you’re a big man, and your father and mother come to your home for Christmas; won’t that be fun?” “All right,” answered Joseph, but a tear trickled down his cheek, as he thought to himself, “No Christmas tree, no presents: what a funny Christmas ‘twill be!”
We will just leave Joseph here awhile, for it’s Christmas eve tonight, and all preparations must be made till five o’clock; no work done after that hour, except to make everybody as happy as they can be at a hospital.
Almost every bed is occupied, and that means many hearts to be made happy. At half past five, supper is served. Every tray contains some goodies and seems to say, “Nothing too good for you tonight!” After each one had been given ample time to enjoy their meal, all trays were removed, and, to the surprise of all, the lights went out.
All was quiet, save in the adjoining room. After being thus in darkness for a few moments, the voice of a Sister was heard saying, “Now we want everyone to close their eyes for just five minutes.” Everyone obeyed, for they felt sure something good was in store for them. “Wonder what they’re doin’,” said an old man? “In a minute you’ll know,” answered a voice in the darkness.
“Glory to God in the highest!” At the singing of these words, every eye opened. But what was it, were they in heaven and was it angels singing? No, but there before them stood a most beautiful Christmas tree illuminated with about a hundred lights, and a band of white-robed Sisters holding each other’s hands, walking around the tree, singing, “Glory to God, the new-born King.”
When the song was ended, they went from bed to bed, and each patient, not one forgotten, received a token of their love. Then nuts and fruit were served, and each one allowed to enjoy themselves to their hearts’ content. “Who’d ever think we’d have a Christmas like this,” said one? “Well,” said another, “they call me Grandpa, but I feel like a little boy tonight. This is my happiest Christmas.” “Mine too,” echoed from all the beds. “I am so glad I couldn’t go home today,” said our little Joseph. “I believe Jesus is here tonight. Mama and papa say so, too.” “So you’re not disappointed then, our dear Sunshine,” asked the Sisters? “Now, if you say ‘no,’ we too will be perfectly happy tonight.” “No, I should say I am not, for I have tonight learned that your motto must be: ‘All for others.’” “And all for Christ,” added his father.
Christmas morning, a lady patient in ward number one woke up, saying, “I hear angels, they’re coming nearer. Oh, what sweet music!” And so every ear was awakened to the singing of “All hail the new-born King!” It wasn’t angels this time either. It was but the self-same Sisters of the previous evening. But they were not visible till the song was ended. Then they again went from bed to bed taking each patient by their hand and wishing them, “A very happy Christmas.” “How can we but be happy,” answered many of the patients?
At ten o’clock, a middle-aged man, garbed as a minister of the Gospel, came forth and read the glad tidings. “There is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
“Mama,” said Joseph, “I wish I could be here every Christmas.”
These articles reveal a devout young woman committed to aid the suffering of others.
Inger Pauline Braaten Hovick (1884–1975)
Introduction
During my first visit to the Otter Tail County Historical Society in 2016, I learned that Fergus Falls had had two Norwegian-language newspaper, the Fergus Falls Ugeblad (Weekly Magazine), published from 1883 to 1946, and the Rodhuggeren (The Radical), published from 1893 to 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 (or refer to indirectly) their daughter (and my maternal grandmother) Inger Pauline. You can find articles that mention Mikkel here and Mathea here.
A few notes on what you will be seeing. Norwegian-language newspapers of the time were printed using a florid Gothic script and written in an archaic, highly Danish-influenced form of Norwegian. [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.
During the early years of her life, my grandmother appeared in Fergus Falls newspapers nineteen times. The first was in 1889, when the serious illness of a child in the Braaten household was reported, and the last was in 1912, when her husband, Charles Hovick, paid a visit to her mother. One of the wonderful things about small-town newspapers is that they are able to write about mundane events of daily life in ways that big-city newspapers cannot. These articles shed invaluable light on her daily life during those years, particularly the years she spent as a Deaconess sister and nurse. They reveal a devout young woman, committed to aid the suffering of others.
[2] Odd S. Lovell, Norwegian Newspapers in America: Connecting Norway and the New Land, (Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010), ix.
Setting the Stage
Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, and Madison, Lac Qui Parle County, Minnesota
The Articles
Braaten Child Seriously Ill
18 September 1889, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
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:
Mikkel’s unnamed daughter must have been Pauline (born in 1884), as she was the only “little girl” in the home at the time.
School report from District No. 54, Fergus Falls, for the month that ended 1 April 1895: Number of students enrolled: 20; number of students to attend every day: 18; number of students who have neglected any school day nor arrived late: 9. The following is the honors list: Ida and Emily Anderson, Pauline Braaten, Tracy Wedll, Maggie Peterson, Hanna Halvorson, Henry Luther, Sigurd and Ingward Skistad. Nettie Lundhagen, teacher
Pauline Braaten, 1898 (likely her confirmation portrait)
Christmas at the Deaconess Home in Chicago
3 January 1901, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
How We Celebrated Christmas at the United Church Deaconess Home in Chicago
Christmas here was very nice, indeed, dare I say, more cozy than I’ve known it before. Why? Because I was making it cozy for so many who were sick.
Before Christmas there was, of course, cleaning to do here as well as in their home.
By Christmas Eve, everything was clean and ready for the great feast. After having taken a little Christmas food for the poor, Christmas trees were bought, properly and nicely decorated, brought into the hospital, and the lights turned on. Then the sisters grouped around the trees and sang Christmas carols and read the Christmas Gospel to the sick.
Patients were then given fine gifts. Oh, how happy they all looked, not just because of the gifts, and that things had been made so cozy for them, but because the happy message, “For today a savior is born,” was intended for each of them, too. Our sick were then brought refreshments, then the dinner was brought in.
We (the Sisters), then gathered in the school room, where we received gifts and letters from our dear family and friends. It was seven o’clock before we left and were ready to seat ourselves down at our own dinner table, which was covered with all kinds of goodies, such as rice porridge, rib roast, and various refreshments. When we had finished eating, our Head Sister read the Christmas Gospel. Then we sang Christmas carols and thanks God for His great love for us that he sent his only son to earth to deliver everyone from their sins, in which we were also included.
When we left the table, it was half past nine. Everyone helped to see that everything was in order for Christmas morning.
We awoke the sick at six o’clock on Christmas morning by singing, “Os er idag en Frelset født (To Us Today a Savior is Born)” and more carols. We then marched around and wished them all a Merry Christmas. We found many of the sick bathed in tears, for the surprise was too big.
After bringing breakfast to the patients, we went up have ours, and shared in prayer and the Word of God. When breakfast was over and everything was in order, as many sisters as possible went to church. Only two of our patients were able to come along. [The others heard the day’s Gospel with commentary by the Sisters that were at their posts.
When the Sisters returned home from church, I finished my dinner. It consisted of a turkey that was sent to us from an old friend from the country, and dessert!
After dinner, all the Sisters gathered around the coffee table where various refreshments were served. Some of the Sisters then went up to the sick, and read and sang for them, while other Sisters went to finish the evening meal.
In the evening, many of the sisters, who were not at their posts went to church.
The second day of Christmas was a bit busy, because on the third day of Christmas, one of our patients had to undergo an operation.
The afternoon of the second day of Christmas there was Holy Communion in the home. In the evening, nine of the Sisters went out to surprise a believing family. We spent time in prayer and song.
Christmas is over now, and we have all had a pleasant and blessed Christmas party in our dear Deaconess Home here in Chicago.
Happy New Year is my wish you, all my dear relatives and friends. Most reverently,
Sister Pauline Braaten
Note:
Pauline had enrolled the previous fall on 15 October 1900. Her father Mikkel was to die a few weeks after this article appeared on 28 January 1901.
Both the pronunciation and spelling of Braaten evolved over time. In Norway, it was pronounced BROH-tn (the aa combination, or the modern equivalent å, is pronounced like a long, throaty OH, and is the origin of our much-made-fun-of Minnesota “OH”). In America, it became BRAH-tn. Pauline’s half-brother Martin further Americanized the spelling to “Brotten,” and her half-brother August changed it to “Broughton.” Perhaps because this article appeared in the English-language newspaper, they used an Americanized spelling.
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.
Pauline’s Father’s Funeral
7 February 1901, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
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. His daughter Pauline, the youngest, came home from the Norwegian Deaconess Home in Chicago, and was still home as of a few days ago.
Note:
Pauline’s parents, Mikkel and Mathea, along with her only full brother, Johan Arndt, are buried in unmarked graves in Bethlehem Cemetery in Fergus Falls.
We are still in our little old home in here in Chicago, but with God’s help, we hope to see a new home in not so long. Although the house here is bad and dilapidated, there are many loving and deep memories associated with this place. Especially this night that I will now tell about, stand out clearly in the solemn memories of the novitiates that were admitted to this home. The purpose of these lines is to tell you, my friends, about the evening of July 2nd, when we two sisters, Kristine Johnson and myself, were admitted as novitiate sisters.
Pastor Ellestad from Goodhue County, Pastors Kildahl and Meyer from Chicago, as well as some friends, were present for the occasion.
The meeting opened with the singing of hymn 284 in Londstub’s hymnal, “Stand Strong My Soul, Stand strong,” then Pastor Kildahl began with prayer.
Pastor Ellestad spoke about the Word of God recorded in Luke 10:25–38. The content was thus about thee great commandments of the law: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” or about the Good Samaritan. He urgently [lagde] us to show the heart of love, not in words alone, but in the daily dealings with our suffering, weak, and forsaken fellow human beings; and when hard times come, to endure and not get tired. Power is obtained from God alone, who can give strength to the weak.
After the sermon, the Promise of Obedience was addressed to each of us, and we answered it with a “Yes.”
The devotional ended with a prayer by Pastor Meyer, followed by Miss Kristine Oberg, from Portland, Oregon, singing “Søg de forvildede (Seek the Lost).” Finally, the choir from Pastor Kildahl’s congregation sang. Congratulations followed.
Even before we could ask, we were served coffee, cakes, and ice cream.
The Lord grant by grace that this hour of earnestness may bear fruit for time and eternity.
A loving greeting to all my relatives and friends from Sister Pauline Braaten Deaconess Home, Chicago
The following excerpts from The Scandinavian were sent to the Ugeblade by Miss Pauline Braaten, who as you know, is in Chicago to dedicate herself to the Deaconess duty.
Wednesday evening, four young people were initiated as Deaconesses, namely Marie Larsen, Jørgine Mjøvik, Caroline Williams. and Gertrude Johnson, graduating from the Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital and their time as trial sisters.
The solemn occasion was held in Bethel’s Norwegian Lutheran Church, which for the occasion, was decorated with palms and flowers, and filled to the brim. The altar had seats for the deacons, and on one side sat the assistant pastors.
Pastor C. E. Tiller opened with prayer, after which Pastor I. H. Meyer presided from the altar. Pastor H. B. Kildahl gave a sermon on Isaiah 54:1. Then there was a scripture reading. In addition to the aforementioned pastors, Pastors Dittman Larsen of Evanston, G. A. Larson of Moorhead, O. R. Espeseth, L. A. Vigness, and C. M. Weswig of Bergen, Wis. Were in attendance.
The actual consecration ritual was led by Professor I. N. Kildalh of Northfield, Minn., who spoke on the Fifth Book of Moses [Deuteronomy] 33:25: “As your days are, then so will your strength remain.” The professor spoke of the heavy work and responsibilities that a Deaconess has to perform, but also the solemn and glorious deed, to do good for his fellow men, and he imposed on the young Sisters to carry out her call with a loving warmth.
Thereafter, the four women recited the oath and were blessed by all the pastors present.
President of the Deaconess Association, Adolf Larsen, awarded the diplomas, after which Pastor Meyer officiated from the altar. Between the speeches, there was hymn, solo, and choral singing with organ accompaniment. Illinois Lutheran Pastors’ Association sent a congratulatory telegram from Leland, Ill.
After the final blessing, all who could came forward to congratulate the Deaconesses.
Miss Pauline Braaten came home from the Deaconess Home in Chicago on Friday, and will be here until the middle of next month, after which she will return.
Sister Pauline Braaten (seated). This is perhaps the graduating class of 1903. It is curious that she is the focus of everyone else’s attention.
Pauline Appointed Manager of Madison Hospital
30 April 1903, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Miss Pauline Braaten, who has been at the Deaconess Home in Chicago for a long time, has taken over the post of managing director at Ebenezer Hospital in Madison, Minn, when the person previously in charge became sick and it didn’t look like she’d get better for a long time. Mrs. Braaten visited her daughter for two weeks in Madison prior to that.
Pauline (all in white) in front of Ebenezer Hospital, Madison Minnesota, circa spring 1904
Pauline to Be Offered Hospital Matron Position, Fergus Falls
17 September 1903, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
The hospital trustees met the same afternoon and chose Pastor Tjørnhom to be the hospital manager. It was decided that prices at the hospital should be $7, $10, and $15 per week. Likewise, it was decided to seek that Miss Pauline Braaten, from here, become hospital matron. She is a graduate of Deaconess in Chicago and is currently matron at the hospital in Madison, Minnesota.
Miss Pauline Braaten cannot come and take over the Board of Directors’ post at St. Luke’s Hospital. We do have, however, another one educated at the Deaconess Home in Chicago, namely Miss Hilda Johnson from Grand Forks. She arrived last Wednesday.
Note:
The likely reason that Pauline turned down this job was because of her impending engagement to Charles Hovick (see next article). The woman who accepted the position in Fergus Falls, Hilda Johnson, was Pauline’s best friend and would soon be part of Pauline’s wedding party.
Pauline and, I believe, Hilda Johnson; taken in Madison, Minnesota, circa 1904
In The Lutheran, dated 9 December, we find the following from the Deaconess Home in Chicago: “Sister Pauline Braaten, now at Madison Hospital, Minn., recently resigned, intending to enter into marriage. God’s blessings follow you you in your new calling!” Miss Braaten is from Fergus Falls and she grew up in the city or nearby.
Miss Pauline Braaten, who is from here, but for some time has been the hospital matron in Madison Minn., had been home for some weeks preparing for her wedding. She traveled to Madison on Monday morning to attend the wedding held yesterday. The groom, whose name is Hovig (sic), manages an elevator in Madison. We understand that Mrs. Braaten traveled to the wedding on Tuesday morning, and that Miss Hilda Johnson, manager of St. Lukas Hospital, followed her, as she was to be the Bridesmaid.
Note:
The double wedding of Pauline Braaten and Charles Hovick, along with Susan Worra and Nels Hovick, took place at the United Norwegian Lutheran Church in Madison, Minnesota on Wednesday, 18 May 1904.
Pauline and Charles Both in Hospital with Appendicitis
27 October 1904, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Mrs. [Mathea] Braaten returned home Monday evening from Madison, Minn., where she had been for a week to see her daughter and son-in-law. They are both in the hospital, as Mr. Hovick underwent surgery for appendicitis on Monday last week, and his wife (formerly Miss Pauline Braaten) was operated on for the same illness last Thursday. Both are recovering and are considered no longer in danger. Mrs. Braaten brings greetings from Mr. Conrad Bang, formerly of this city, and who now manages the Madison Electric Lighting company. Mrs. Braaten was with him for dinner one day, and he had a beautiful and cozy home.
Mr. and Mrs. [Charles and Pauline] Hovick of Madison, Minn. have been visiting their mother and mother-in-law, Mrs. [Mathea] Braaten, for a couple of weeks. They are traveling back today. Mr. Hovick is employed by an elevator company there.
Young Ben’s Christmas edition this year came with excellent reading and beautiful pictures. The magazine promised $15 for the best Christmas story, and the award went to Mrs. Charles T. Hovick of Madison, Minn. There were about 50 stories. Second prize of $10 was given to Benjamin Bentsen of Viroqua, Wis., and third prize of $5 went to Mrs. Ida Halvorsen Weeseth of Revere, Minn. These stories were all printed in the Christmas issue and were all in English. Mrs. Char. T. Hovick, who won first prize, is a daughter of Mrs. M. Braaten from here in the city. Her maiden name was Pauline Braaten. The Ugeblad extends its congratulations.
Pauline Visits, Mrs. Inger Hovick Ailing with Eye Tumor
14 June 1911, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Mrs. C. Hovick [Pauline] of Madison, Minn. Came last Wednesday evening to visit her mother, Mrs. Mathea Braaten, here in the city. She came with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Inger Hovick, suffering from a malignant eye disease. Dr. Sherping examined her eyes, and it is true that she has a tumor in one and that the other was in a bad state, and he advised her to travel to Minneapolis to see Dr. Bøckman as soon as possible. They traveled there last Friday morning. Mrs. Inger Hovick is well-known by many here as she has been here on visits for the past few years.
Mr. Chas. Hovick of Madison, Minn. was here in town visiting his mother-in-law, Mrs. Mathea Braaten, for a couple of days last week. He was returning from Fargo, where he had been a delegate to the annual meeting.
My maternal grandmother, Inger Pauline Braaten, known as Pauline, was born on 29 January 1884 in Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, Minnesota. She was the daughter of Mikkel Mikkelsen Braaten (1 April 1834–28 January 1901), a dairy farmer and carpenter, and Gunhild Mathea Johannesdatter Pedersen Braaten (17 October 1844–18 April 1921), known as Mathea. Both were immigrants from Norway, both had been married before and widowed, and both had lost one child. Mikkel had six surviving children and Mathea had five, giving Pauline eleven half-siblings (see family tree below). Together, Mikkel and Mathea had two children, Pauline (29 January 1884–15 August 1975), and Johan Arndt (16 June 1886–3 February 1887).
At the age of sixteen, Pauline decided to become a nurse. Boarding a train to Chicago, she enrolled at the Norwegian Lutheran Deaconess Hospital on 15 October 1900, and was ultimately consecrated a Deaconess Sister. [1] Begun in Germany in 1836, the Deaconess movement quickly spread through Protestant denominations in Europe and the United States, most actively among Lutherans. Not unlike Roman Catholic nuns, Deaconess sisters lived in community in motherhouses, and were dedicated to nursing. Sisters went through a rite of consecration but were free to leave at any time to marry or to care for family. [2]
Pauline graduated in 1903. Her hometown of Fergus Falls offered her the position of Hospital Matron, but she declined, and instead became Head Nurse of the City Hospital of Madison, Minnesota. Shortly after arriving in Madison, she met her soon-to-be husband, Charles Hovick (2 May 1873–22 February 1848). Born Tjerand Torbjørnsen on the Håvik farm in Skjold Parish, Rogaland County, Norway, Charles ran the grain elevator in Madison. They were married in a grand double wedding on 18 May 1904. Likely because of societal expectations, Pauline gave up her nursing career after she married.
Pauline and Charles had four children: Tarald Melvin Hovick, who was stillborn on 26 June 1905 due to bad fall that Pauline had taken the day before, Mildred Ingeborg (Hovick) Monge (12 April 1907–16 November 2003), Signe Alise (Hovick) Christeson (3 August 1912– 15 July 2012), and my mother, Charlotte Pauline (Hovick) Thompson Lohman (9 October 1925– 8 November 2015).
In 1926, determined that their three daughters receive a quality education, they sold their farm in Madison and moved to Northfield, Minnesota so that the girls could attend St. Olaf College. Pauline spent years as a housemother at a boarding house for male college students, and Charles spent the rest of his life as a janitor at St. Olaf. Charles died of liver cancer on 22 February 1948. Pauline died on 15 August 1975 of heart failure after having broken her hip months earlier. She and Charles are buried in the Oaklawn Cemetery in Northfield, Minnesota.
[1] Mildred Hovick Monge, “Remember,” family history, 1974; “Remember,” blog entry, Hovick Lohman History, blog (hovicklohmanhistory.blog/remember/ : accessed 30 August 2020), pdf, pt. 1, ch. 4, “Recollections with Pauline,” p. 49 (printed).
These articles reveal a woman with close ties to her family, committed to aid the suffering of others, willing to leave the comforts of life in the city to help her son on a barren North Dakota homestead, and finally, a woman respected and grieved by her community.
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 it may contain about our family 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 my great-grandmother, who was known as Mathea. You can find articles that mention Mikkel here. Those that mention their daughter (and my maternal grandmother) Inger Pauline are the focus of an upcoming post.
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 her life, my great-grandmother appeared in the newspaper thirty-five times. The first was in 1886, the last being shortly after her death in 1921. One of the wonderful things about small-town newspapers is that they are able to write about mundane events of daily life in ways that big-city newspapers cannot. These articles shed invaluable light on her daily life and her comings and goings during those thirty-five years. They reveal a woman with close ties to her family, committed to aid the suffering of others, willing to leave the comforts of life in the city to help her son on a barren North Dakota homestead, and finally, a woman respected and grieved by her community.
[2] Odd S. Lovell, Norwegian Newspapers in America: Connecting Norway and the New Land, (Saint Paul: Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2010), ix.
Setting the Stage
Fergus Falls, Otter Tail County, Minnesota
The Articles
Winning Numbers
22 December 1886, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
The lottery, held the other day at the home of Mrs. Mikkel Braaten, had the following four winning numbers: No. 3, Haakon Skistad; No. 28, Hans Hanson; No. 40, John Olson; and No. 43, Mrs. John Back.
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.
Fergus Falls Town[ship], 14 February 1887
Mikkel Braaten.
Mathea Braaten.
Note:
This was Mathea and Mikkel ’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.
For the needy children of India, the Ugeblad has received the following amounts, which have been sent to Pastor O.A. Østby: [list] The above was from people here in the city and was sent on November 27. Mrs. Mathea Braaten, from here $1.00 [list continues] Total $8.75
Last Saturday, Mr. Ephraim Utne of Dane Prairie had gathered $31.85 for the needy in the old country. He had not received any instructions and was not quite sure about where the aid should be sent, but after some deliberation, we agreed to send it to Finland, partly because the need seemed to be greatest there, and partly because the conditions for getting help at home there are assumed to be fewer there than in Norway and Sweden. Finland – politically speaking – is not any longer than any other country. It is dissolved and impoverished; merely a Russian province, Russia has more than enough to worry about in terms of taking care of themselves. In Norway and Sweden, on the other hand, one is probably not worse off, depending on if the State can find a solution so that no one dies of hunger. In Finland, on the other hand, people are starving now.
We sent this money the same day to the New York Christian Herald, which as previously mentioned according to Opfordring, has taken the lead in fundraising for the Finns.
Along with that of Mr. Utne, we also sent: From Miss Sophia Ronning $2.00 From Mrs. Mathea Braaten. 1.00 From a previous anonymous gift 5.00 Total $39.85
Miss Pauline Braaten, who is from here, but for some time has been the hospital matron in Madison, Minn., had been home for some weeks preparing for her wedding. She traveled to Madison on Monday morning to attend the wedding held yesterday. The groom, whose name is Hovig (sic), manages an elevator in Madison. We understand that Mrs. Braaten traveled to the wedding on Tuesday morning, and that Miss Hilda Johnson, manager of St. Lukas Hospital, followed her, as she was to be the bridesmaid.
Note:
The double wedding of Pauline Braaten and Charles Hovick, along with Susan Worra and Nels Hovick, took place at the United Norwegian Lutheran Church in Madison, Minnesota on Wednesday, 18 May 1904.
Both Mathea’s Daughter and Son-in-Law with Appendicitis
27 October 1904, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Mrs. Braaten returned home Monday evening from Madison, Minn., where she had been for a week to see her daughter and son-in-law. They are both in the hospital, as Mr. Hovick underwent surgery for appendicitis on Monday last week, and his wife (formerly Miss Pauline Braaten) was operated on for the same illness last Thursday. Both are recovering and are considered no longer in danger. Mrs. Braaten brings greetings from Mr. Conrad Bang, formerly of this city, and who now manages the Madison Electric Lighting company. Mrs. Braaten was with him for dinner one day, and he had a beautiful and cozy home.
Mathea’s son, August Hjalmer Pederson (5 June 1870–1 October 1943), was formally granted a homestead near Des Lacs, Ward County, North Dakota on 6 December 1905. [1] Mathea moved with August and his wife Anna (Sleen) (1873–1957), lived with them in their sod house on the barren prairie, and helped raise and teach their many children. Mathea would later obtain her own homestead, immediately to the west of August’s, on 13 February 1908. [2]
[1] “Land Patent Search,” images, General Land Office Records (glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx# : accessed 8 September 2020, August H Pederson, Ward County, North Dakota, document no. 9581. [2] “Land Patent Search,” images, General Land Office Records (glorecords.blm.gov/search/default.aspx# : accessed 8 September 2020, Mathea Bratten, Ward County, North Dakota, document no. 14260.
A typical sod house from this period.Des Lacs, Ward County, North DakotaMathea’s and August’s Homesteads
Mathea’s House Available
15 March 1906, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
My house, either the whole or a part, is available starting March 15th. There is a stable and water from the water works. For details, see M.H. Stang. Mrs. Mathea Braaten
Note:
The same notice appeared the following week on 22 March 1906.
Mrs. Mathea Braaten came from her homestead near Des Lacs, N.D. last Sunday morning. She says that the snowfall is quite immense, and it is almost impossible to travel, whether by horse or train. When she came down here, the train had to stop several times before coming to Larimore, and this kept happening from 4 to 11 a.m. Saturday evening on a fairly short stretch of road. She says her son was supposed to have picked up a load of coal on the 10th of December. He traveled out Monday and did not get the coal home before Wednesday evening, even though the coal was not further away than 15 miles. Along the way, he had to shovel the road for three miles. Finally, he had to put the load back down, travel home for a couple more horses, and then finally reached home as mentioned. Whether you travel to the city or to pay visits, you do not know what time you can come again. Once this winter, the post office in Deslacs was without both stamps and envelopes, just because the new supply did not arrive in time.
In the past week, we have received the following contributions: [list] Mrs. Mathea Braaten, from here $0.50 [list continues] Subtotal $54.00 Sent previously $126.90 Total $180.90
Mrs. Mathea Braaten came back from Des Lacs in North Dakota for the church dedication here on Sunday. She brought with her contributions from two women’s associations for the needy in China.
In response to Pastor Tjørnhom’s appeal in last week’s issue of the Ugeblad, we have received the following contributions: [list] Mrs. Mathea Braaten, Fergus Falls .50 [list continues]
It will be sent today. Many thanks on behalf of Pastor Tjørnhom.
Mrs. Mathea Braaten, who lives in town north near the asylum, has been in St. Luke’s Hospital since Saturday. She has had bronchitis, but it now expected to be able to leave the hospital one these days.
Mr. and Mrs. Hovick of Madison, Minn. have been visiting their mother and mother-in-law, Mrs. Braaten, for a couple of weeks. They are traveling back today. Mr. Hovick is employed by an elevator company there.
For sale, cheap: bedroom suite, a sofa, dining table, a smaller table, basket stand, and other household items. I intend to move away and will therefore sell. Mrs. Mathea Braaten.
Young Ben’s Christmas edition this year came with excellent reading and beautiful pictures. The magazine promised $15 for the best Christmas story, and the award went to Mrs. Charles T. Hovick of Madison, Minn. There were about 50 stories. Second prize of $10 was given to Benjamin Bentsen of Viroqua, Wis., and third prize of $5 went to Mrs. Ida Halvorsen Weeseth of Revere, Minn. These stories were all printed in the Christmas issue and were all in English. Mrs. Char. T. Hovick, who won first prize, is a daughter of Mrs. M. Braaten from here in the city. Her maiden name was Pauline Braaten. The Ugeblad extends its congratulations.
Mathea’s Daughter Visits with Mrs. Inger Hovick, Ailing with Eye Tumor
14 June 1911, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Mrs. C. Hovick [Pauline] of Madison, Minn. Came last Wednesday evening to visit her mother, Mrs. Mathea Braaten, here in the city. She came with her mother-in-law, Mrs. Inger Hovick, suffering from a malignant eye disease. Dr. Sherping examined her eyes, and it is true that she has a tumor in one and that the other was in a bad state, and he advised her to travel to Minneapolis to see Dr. Bøckman as soon as possible. They traveled there last Friday morning. Mrs. Inger Hovick is well-known by many here as she has been here on visits for the past few years.
Mr. Chas. Hovick of Madison, Minn. was here in town visiting his mother-in-law, Mrs. Mathea Braaten, for a couple of days last week. He was returning from Fargo, where he had been a delegate to the annual meeting.
Mrs. Mathea Braaten, from here in the city, came home again last Friday after having spent a couple of weeks in Minneapolis visiting Mr. and Mrs. O.P.B. Jacobson and others.
Mrs. Mathea Braaten has sold her home on Birch Avenue to George Hoffman of Friberg, who has already moved in. Mrs. Braaten will travel next week to her daughter’s home in Madison, where she will spend the winter. She will return to Fergus Falls in the spring.
Mrs. Mathea Braaten, who has been visiting relatives and friends here and in Mahnomen, will travel to Minneapolis tomorrow. She also intends to visit her son in Hastings, Minn. She wishes to say a heartfelt thanks to relatives and friends in Fergus Falls for all the warmth and kindness she has enjoyed during her visit here.
Old Mrs. Mikkel Braaten died last Monday at her daughter’s home in Madison, Minn. Mathea Braaten lived here in town for many years. She was a faithful, kind, and loving woman, and was loved and esteemed by everyone who knew her. Her husband, Mikkel Braaten, died here several years ago. She is survived by several adult children. In recent years, she had lived with her daughter in Madison, Minnesota. The body will be brought here from Madison, and the funeral will take place at M. Benson’s Chapel. She will be buried at Bethlehem Congregation’s cemetery, south of the city.
Note:
Mathea, her husband Mikkel, and their infant son Johan Arndt are buried in unmarked graves in Bethlehem Cemetery.
Funeral, Mrs. M. Braaten, Fergus Falls (Minnesota) Daily Journal, 25 April 1921, page 4; photocopy, author’s private collection.
Gratitude from Mathea’s Children
27 April 1921, Fergus Falls Ugeblad
Translation:
Gratitude
— We want to express our cordial thanks, through the Ugeblad, to everyone who showed sympathy and participation during the funeral of our dear mother, Mrs. Mathea Braaten. Special thanks to Pastor Simonson for his words of consolation, and to the choir for their beautiful song. Thanks also for all the beautiful flowers. May God bless all of you.
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.
My mother, Charlotte Hovick Lohman, moved from the tiny town of Madison, Minnesota (near the South Dakota border) to the college town of Northfield, Minnesota in 1926.
They very quickly became members of St. John’s Lutheran Church, a mere nine-minute walk from their home (according to Google). Founded in 1869 by Norwegian immigrants, the congregation was earlier named St. Johannes Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation. From the beginning, St. John’s, as it later became known, had close ties with St. Olaf College. My grandparents, Charles and Pauline Hovick, dedicated to providing for a good education for their daughters, spent much of their lives working at St. Olaf. (But alas, there was no tuition discount offered to children of college employees at the time.) Charles was a custodian at Mohn Hall, and Pauline was house mother at Forest Hall, an off-campus dormitory. St. John’s building was built in 1913.
Childhood My mom enrolled in something called St. John’s Cradle Roll in 1927.
Music has always been so important in my family. My grandmother Pauline played the piano and taught her three daughters to play, and grandfather Charley played the mandolin. From the start, my mom sang in the choirs at St. John’s.
Here’s St. John’s in 1934, about the same time as the choir picture was taken.
Confirmation
June 9, 1940. That’s her in the back row on the left, looking a bit glum, I must say. Mom was tall, so you’ll often find her in the back row of photos.
Charlotte, decked out in her white robe and carnation, alongside her proud parents, Charley and Pauline.
High School
Mom saved the bulletin from their Christmas Day service in 1943, the year she graduated from Northfield High School. Note the staggering number of people from that single congregation who were serving in the military. (And on a lighter note, how many of them were named Anderson, Arneson, Asleson, Benson, Carlson, Edwardson, Ellingson, Hanson, Jacobson, Johnson, Jorgenson, Knutson, Peterson, Swanson, Thompson, and Tollefson. But, oddly enough, not an Olson in the whole lot.)
And later…
My mom’s first marriage took place at St. John’s on the evening of May 18, 1950 (look at the candlelight!). She married Rev. Warren Thompson, who died only fourteen months later, leaving her four months pregnant with their son, Charles (who was named after both of his grandfathers).
For decades, St. John’s has been a gathering place for my extended family. So many funerals, yet they were opportunities to see beloved cousins who have spread out far and wide.
And much later…
I had the thrill last year to go to St. John’s to co-lead a Building an Inclusive Church training. It was so wonderful to be back in that space, combining my personal and professional lives, and to spend time with the good folks of St. John’s who were so passionate about making the church one that fully welcomes LGBTQ people. Go, St. John’s!
Born Tjerand Torbjørnson, my grandfather came into this world in a dirt-floored cottage on the edge of a fjord near Håvik in Norway in 1873. His entire immediate family came to America from Norway in three waves between 1886-1889. They first lived in northwest Iowa, before finally settling on a farm outside of Madison, Minnesota in 1903. My grandfather, who had changed his name to Charles Torbjorn Hovick, remained in Iowa, but when a job offer came from the grain elevator in Madison, he finally joined his family in 1904.
Madison, Minnesota in 1909
He met my grandmother, Pauline Braaten, shortly after arriving, and they were married on May 18th of that same year.
The Wedding of Charles Hovick and Pauline Braaten, 1904
My grandfather, often called Charley, has been described to me as a gentle, loving, and funny man. He had only the equivalency of an eighth-grade education. But despite this, he understood the value of education, and would go to great lengths to insure that his three daughters received the finest education that he could provide. What makes this all the more remarkable is that Grandpa’s dedication was so counter to the prevailing attitudes of the day. My Aunt Mildred summed up those attitudes like this: “Education for girls? What a waste of good money when all they would do would be to get married. And who needs learning for keeping house and raising children?”
In 1915, an old family friend, Mr. H.E. Loe from Linn Grove, Iowa offered my grandfather a job managing a farm five miles north of Madison. So at the age of 32, he, along with his wife, Pauline Braaten Hovick, 31, and daughters Mildred, 7, and Signe, 3, left the hubbub of small town life and moved out to the farm.
The H.E. Loe Farm
Now that they had no neighbors nearby to disturb, the girls were delighted that they could make as much noise as they pleased.
The Barn at the H.E. Loe Farm
The Hovicks during the time they lived on the farm back: Pauline, Mildred front: Charles, Signe
Their financial well-being was wholly dependent upon the success of each year’s crops. One year on a hot, sunny summer day, the Ladies Aid Society was meeting at the Hovick farm. The fields looked good, and they were optimistic for a good harvest. But a freak summer storm swept in, complete with driving rain and hail, and by the time the Ladies went home, the crops were devastated.
However, the fall harvest of 1925 was an exceptionally good one.
Charley Hovick the Farmer
In Remember, my Aunt Mildred’s memoirs published in 1974, she writes:
“…the crops filled the granary and barns to overflowing. Papa called out from the granary [for me] to come to him. The two of us sat on the tongue of the lumber wagon, talking over the days of harvesting just completed, so grateful for the bountiful gifts of God.”
Mildred, or Aunt Mimi as we called her, had graduated from the Lutheran Normal School the spring before, intent on becoming a teacher.
Lutheran Normal School, Madison, Minnesota
Her first choice was to attend St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, but the family simply couldn’t afford it. So plans had been put in place for her to attend Cedar Falls College in Iowa.
Sitting there in granary, Grandpa asked her if she would like to go to St. Olaf after all. “We can manage it with these crop returns.” Mildred was elated, The beginning of the school year was almost upon them, and before she knew what was happening, she was on a train for Northfield.
“In my pocket was a personal checking account with a $300.00 deposit which would see me through most of the first semester.”
Grandpa’s dream was beginning to come true.
My mother, Charlotte Pauline Hovick, was born a month later on October 9, 1925.
Charlotte Pauline Hovick
Mildred, now a freshman at St. Olaf, excitedly came home for Charlotte’s baptism. She wrote:
“Monday and the inevitable return to college came with shocking reality. I cried. I cried for hours. Papa took my bags in one hand and with his arm about me, escorted me from the car to the waiting bus, determined as ever to see his dream for my education fulfilled. I cried all the way home to Northfield, suffering the very worst spell of homesickness I ever experienced.”
“In June 1929, dressed in the traditional black graduation robe with the tassel switched to the other side of my cap and holding my sheepskin diploma in my hand,
Mildred Hovick’s St. Olaf College Diploma
“I felt an arm around me. ‘Now aren’t you glad I made you get on that bus four years ago, Mim? It hurt me all these years to think of you and your tears, but I thought I knew what was best for you.’ I turned and hugged him and said, ‘Thank you, Papa. I’m so glad you did.’”
That winter, Charles and Pauline made the momentous decision to leave Madison and move the family to Northfield. The reasons were two-fold. Pauline suffered from pernicious anemia, and living and working on the farm was growing increasingly difficult for her. Secondly, this would be a major step forward in realizing their dream of giving their daughters a fine education. Living in Northfield would mean that they wouldn’t have to pay room and board, making an expensive St. Olaf education a bit more affordable.
In February of 1926, they sold much of what they had. An auction was held on February 17, 1926 to sell what appears to be everything on the farm – livestock, machinery, and household goods.
Chas. T. Hovick Farm Auction Notice Click to enlarge
With the downsizing completed, it was time to bid farewell to their dear family and friends and move the 180 miles to Northfield. They must have owned a car by this point, because Charles drove to Northfield loaded down with their remaining belongings, and Pauline, Signe (age 13), and Charlotte (6 months) soon followed on the train. They moved into a rented house at 652 St. Olaf Avenue, which would forever be known as “Charlotte’s Baby House.”
652 St. Olaf Avenue, Northfield, Minnesota Charlotte Hovick in buggy
Signe grew up to attend and graduate St. Olaf in 1934, and Charlotte attended St. Olaf in 1943-1944, before completing nurse’s training at Fairview Hospital School of Nursing in Minneapolis. Grandpa’s dream was fulfilled.
A few years later, as he lay dying of cancer in 1948, he told his girls, “I don’t leave you with an inheritance of money or property, but you have the best of all – an education, which has prepared you for life on your own.”
After the death of my first husband Warren in 1952…
…and the birth of our son Chuck in 1952…
…nursing at Fairview Hospital, together with being a single parent, became my career.
Chuck and myself, along with another recent widow, Mona Hjortland and her son David, moved in together; and with the help of our babysitter, Grandma Turk, Mona and I were able to work. Our life together was good.
One Sunday in October, 1952, Mona and I decided to eat at the then-famous Hasty Tasty Café at 50th and France [two doors down from the Edina Cinema].
As we looked at the people enjoying their dinner, Mona spotted a man and his young daughter, whom she had previously met.
This man, Dick Lohman, had very recently lost his wife from bulbar polio, leaving him alone with two sons, Paul, age two, Douglas, four, and his daughter Jeanne, six.
After finishing our meals, we went over to greet them. Our hearts ached for him, knowing what he must be going through. But after a pleasant visit, we went on our way.
It wasn’t long before Dick started to come to see us after he got his children to bed – just to talk and share his grief. We understood what he was going through. [He dubbed us the “Merry Widows.”] Sometimes another recent widow friend, Merlyn, would come and join us. They were good times for us all. My “playing Cupid” instincts were being aroused, so I would encourage Dick to take Merlyn home. He willingly did, but he always immediately returned to our home to continue to visit. Playing Cupid wasn’t working, so I dropped the thought!
Time passed and our get-togethers continued. Mona was soon engaged to a seminary student, and she decided that she now wanted to play Cupid with Dick and I. I said, “Nope, he’s too short for me!” My reaction to Mona was silly, but I had always been tall for my age. My Dad and first husband Warren were both 6’4”, so this was a new experience for me. (Before I go further, I want to say that I was less than ½“ taller than Dick. How silly! I later came to just wear low-heeled shoes. What a simple solution!)
One evening in April, 1953, I was working the 3:00-11:00 pm shift at the hospital and the phone rang. It was none other than Dick asking me for a date to see the newly released film, Martin Luther. That sounded like fun, so I said yes.
By this time, I had not wanted to admit to myself or anyone else that I was starting to like Dick, not only as a friend, but some romantic feelings were creeping in, too. So I was excited about this date – my first since 1951 when Warren died. Mona was delighted – she had been right!
The fateful night arrived and off we went and had a wonderful time [first at the Uptown Theater…
…and then a few doors down at the Rainbow Café.]
I must have been excited when I left home, because I left my keys and Mona wasn’t home to let us in. So Dick came to the rescue, got a window opened and in we went. We talked and talked about so many things, and he finally said, “Will you marry me?” Without hesitation, I knew that I was in love and said, “Yes.” It just felt so right. Our first date and now we were engaged. This was unbelievable. Nothing slow about us!
We went to introduce Dick to my mother. She had heard about him being short. But as she opened the door and laid eyes on him, the first thing she said was, “You’re no shrimp!” They loved each other immediately.
On August 15, 1953, our family became a “Yours and Mine” family,
and later, in 1955 and again in 1961, a
family when our two sons Jeffrey and David were born.
But really, it’s always simply been an “Ours” family.
This was forty years ago as I write this in 1993, and we still stand in awe of how blessed we have been by God.
Charlotte Pauline Hovick (born: October 9, 1925 in Madison, Minnesota)
was born to
Charles Tornbjorn Hovick (born: May 2, 1873 in Skjold, Norway; died: February 22, 1948 in Northfield, Minnesota) and Inger Pauline Brotten Hovick (born: January 29, 1884 in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, died: August 15, 1975 in Northfield, Minnesota)
Charlotte was born in the small town of Madison, Minnesota, near the South Dakota border.
At the age of six months her parents moved the family to Northfield, Minnesota
so that their three daughters could get a good education at St. Olaf College.
Charlotte at six and a half months with mother Pauline
Pauline and Charlotte
Charlotte in buggy in front of their first home in Northfield on Saint Olaf Avenue
Charlotte at the Hovick family farm in Madison, Minnesota
Charlotte at eight months old
Autumn 1926 Charlotte at one year old (left)
Charlotte (right)
Charlotte at two years old
Unknown woman
ca. 1929 Mildred Ingeborg Hovick Monge (sister), Pauline Hovick (mother), Signe Alise Hovick Christeson (sister) Charlotte
Hovick Lohman History 