North Dakota Farmer

Searching historical records for a relative who was a North Dakota farmer can be a challenge. The reasons include #1 Limited public records, #2 Many Scandinavian names are similar, such as Olson, Olsen, Oleson, Olsson, #3 Shorter life span due to hazards.

Thankfully we have the 1900 federal census as a place to start!

The 1900 United States Census was conducted on June 1, 1900. There were 76,212,168 persons enumerated (counted) in the United States.

Questions asked and recorded include:
Address, name, relationship to head of family,
Sex, race, age, month and year born
Marital status and, if married number of years married.
For women, number of children born and number now living.
Place of birth of person, and their parents
If foreign born, year of immigration and when naturalized
Occupation
Months not employed
Attended school
Ability to speak English
Whether on a farm, farmer
Home owned or rented, and, if owned, whether mortgaged

There were 319,146 people living in North Dakota in 1900. Some tips for successfully searching census’ include:

·       remember names had variations, often people used initials.
·       Enumerators wrote what they heard, they had poor penmanship.
·       sometimes they missed people in the index so don’t be afraid to read for yourself.
·       knowing where your ancestor lived is important, learning about their neighbors might reveal relatives, friends.

If you slow down long enough the answers are there, or not there.

It’s like asking your ancestor “what was your occupation?”, Did you attend school that year? Could you read or write, speak English?

A blank line may mean as much as a filled in one. Example: did they did not own their home, whether they lived in a home or on a farm, was the home mortgaged.

Where can you find the census records?
   Many libraries offer these inhouse for free. Or subscribe!
·       FamilySearch.org
·       Ancestry.com
·       National Archives
·       Fold3.com
·       My Heritage
·       Do a google search for your county and year sometimes they have been typed in by a local genealogist.

For 230 years the US has captured Census data every ten years. There is a 72-year privacy period meaning this 2020 census will be available in 2092. Just think of that in the future your descendants and relatives maybe looking for you! (Sadly, the 1890 census was lost in a fire.)

In the beginning of my research days I was so excited to find names and ages, I hurried through some of the closer-look-details. I now realize the Census reveals personal information as well as migration information, often families followed friends to a new location.

Did your family include a woman working “before her time.” Was she widowed, single, or abandoned?

Take a moment and imagine what was it like for that family to gather around the dinner table. How many, what ages, what languages, what stories were told from work or school. Perhaps you can get a sense of the family economy. Working or unemployed. Living in a city or rural.

By 1910 census they were asking when the person immigrated and had they been naturalized or applied for first papers. You can learn if your family suffered child mortality.

The 1930 census asked about Rent, Radios and Relocation – more about that another time.

Here is an example – I will explore several sources to learn about Charles Olsen who lived in rural North Dakota. Here he is in the 1900 census.

1910 North Dakota, Barnes, Rosebud, District 0013

Name Age married children birthplace arrived in US, naturalized, occupation.

Charles Olson 50 m 24            Norway Norwegian 1881 Na          Farmer
Julia Olson 42 m 24 10/8      Iowa
Carolina Olson 17                    MN
Alma Olson 14                         ND
Henrietta Olson 11                 ND
Carl Olson 8                             ND
Adolph Olson 5                        ND
Edna Olson 2                           ND

From this record we can note the obvious – names and ages. But behind that we learn about their migration pattern. The father born in Norway. The daughter Carolina age 17 was born in Minnesota and the 14 year old was born in North Dakota.

I found Charles Olsen in the Bureau of Land Management records also:

https://glorecords.blm.gov/default.aspx

This record discloses a description of the property as well as the name of the purchaser:
OLSON, CHARLY 6/30/1882 ND 4th PM Twp 141N R 051W SW 1/4 Sec 12 Cass County.

Then the Naturalization Index https://library.ndsu.edu/db/naturalization/
Olson Charles Norway 2nd Papers December 22, 1892 Barnes Volume F015 P392

Another source available for rural North Dakota is Church records (including membership and baptismal). This example found at Ancestry.com. These can be a gold mine!
U.S., Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Church Records, 1781-1969

Alma Emelia Olsen 7 Juli 1895 Charles Olsen, Julia Olsen
Hilda Berthine Olsen 26 Sep 1889 20 Oct 1889 St Thomas Church, Svea
Oskar Theodor Olson 21 Sep 1887 6 Nov 1887 St Thomas Svea
Hance Caroline 30 Apr 1893 bap 30 Dec 1892 Charles & Julia

Another great resource for rural areas is Find a Grave www.findagrave.com – Cemetery Index Not only did I find a grave stone photo, but someone had posted an obituary for Charles Olson!

Life’s Journey is Ended for Charles Olson
Funeral Services Held in Glenwood and at Valley City, N.D.
The life journey of Charles Olson Branby came to a peaceful end at the home of his son, Carl Olson, in Barsness Township on Wednesday, June 18. Death was due to the infirmities of old age. The life span of Mr. Olson began in Telemarken, Norway, where he was born on January 6, 1860. He was therefore, past 81 years of age at the time of his death. His parents were Ole O. and Tone Branby. At the age of twenty-one, he left the homeland to seek his fortune in the new world. He came to Pope county in July, 1881. On May 6, 1886, he was united in marriage to Julia Hougen at the parsonage of Rev. Skaar. Shortly after their marriage, he moved to his homestead, three miles north of Litchville, traveling in a covered wagon. He prospered in this new country and acquired considerable farm land, before he left for Pope county
again, twenty-three years ago. Mr. and Mrs. Olson took an active part in community life and were charter members of the first Norwegian Baptist Church near Litchville. In Pope county he acquired farm land, having sold his land in North Dakota. Funeral services were held from the Berry Funeral Home at two o’clock on Saturday, June 21st. The services were conducted by Rev. J. Linnevold. Funeral services were held at the First Baptist Church of Valley City, N.D., at two o’clock P.M. June 21st, Rev. F. H. Swanson officiating, and burial at St. Thomas cemetery near LItchville. Pallbearers were six grandsons of the
deceased: Homer, Malcalm, and LeRoy Hanson, Clayton Olson and Harvey and Gordon Gudmestad. Dr. R. G. White and Malcalm Hanson sang two duets, accompanied by Miss Elvera Cedergreen and four granddaughters, Joan, Shirley and Rosemary Froemke and Doris Olson, sang “Nearer My God to Thee,” accompanied by Mrs. Gene Bong. Besides his wife, he is survived by the following children: O.T. Olson, New Rockford, N.D., Hilda (Mrs. H. O. Hanson) of Henrietta, N.D., Mrs. A. L. Froemke of Valley City, N.D., Adolf N. Olson of Green Bay, Wis.; and Caroline (Mrs. Peter Fingerson), Edna (Mrs. Chas Squire), Carl J. Olson and Raymond G. Olson of Glenwood. Surviving him also are two brothers and two
sisters, Elof and Ole Branby, Mrs. Ole Hammar and Mrs. R. Rasmusson of Glenwood.
Charles Olson was a man who lived his Christianity in all his dealings with his fellow men. He was a man of outstanding character and personality and was loved and respected by all those who knew him. He was a loving and faithful husband and father and a good friend and neighbor.

Published in the Litchville Bulletin, Litchville, North Dakota, June, 1941

Look at all the clues we learned from this obituary.
where he lived
who he lived with
when he died
where he was born
when he was born
who is parents were
when he came to America
when he married, who he married
how he moved
what church he belonged to
who handled his funeral services
when and where his funeral was
who the pallbearers were (six grandsons)
His survivors, his children, two brothers and two sisters.
….a bit about his character.

Even if we are not related to him, we learned he traveled by wagon to ND. Who married them in 1887. They found like-minded immigrant church ties.

Charles Olson b 1860 – 1941 Saint Thomas Cemetery Litchville, Barnes

From his grave we learn when he was born
When he died
Where he is buried
and perhaps an obituary
sometimes the submitter is a relative
spouse and children (if they are on findagrave)

Turns out there are some records that can be found. Good luck with your farmer research! (ps fill out your 2020 census carefully – someone will be looking for you!)

Finding Famous Family

I was a student at Washington State University-Vancouver, when I listened in Dr. John Barber’s Digital Text and Technology class. As he lectured one day, he described his personal/professional project about the author Richard Brautigan. Discussing the vast works of the author and how Dr. Barber’s website www.brautigan.net chronicled his life and work, Dr. Barber stated “Richard Brautigan had no family.” That comment caught my attention! As a life-long genealogist, I knew that wasn’t true, everyone has family. So, I immediately took to the task of finding his family.

What resulted was a several page report to my professor regarding the Brautigan family history. He was blown-away that this information could be found. And thus began my adventure into “learning about Richard Brautigan.”

Thankfully Brautigan spent most of his life in the west so I was able to use many local sources. Here are the types of records I used to learn about the Brautigan family:

City directories (names, addresses, occupation)
Newspapers (stories, names, dates)
Birth records (names, dates)
Marriage records (names, dates, witnesses, parents)
Death records (names, dates, place of burial)
Obituaries (names, relationships, occupations, final resting place)
Land Records (dates, places, names)
Driving by addresses (age of home, type of neighborhood)
Libraries (local history, online databases such as Ancestry or ProQuest)
Court house (land deeds, birth, marriage, death certificates, divorce decrees, probate records, tax records, military records, civil and criminal records)
Archives (Cemetery Records, Census Records, Map Records, Minutes and Meeting Records, Naturalization Records, Power of Attorney Records, Professional License Records, Superior Court, Trademark Records)
Online sources (Genealogy Websites, Family History Websites, Organizational Directories)

I learned the Brautigan family arrived from Germany in 1899. They made their way west to Winlock, Washington. Combined with a maternal grandmother who was a bootlegger it made for an interesting search!

About Brautigan:

Richard Brautigan (1935-1984) was an American writer. Most popular during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Born 30 Jan 1935 in Tacoma, Washington. Brautigan’s first novel was published in 1956. He died 1984 at home in Bolinas, CA.

From Dr. Barber’s website:

“Richard Brautigan was mysterious about his family, sometimes saying he had none, sometimes weaving them into his writing in imaginative ways. He did not know his real father, had several step-fathers, and abandoned all family ties when he left his boyhood home in Oregon and moved to San Francisco, California. He married twice and is survived by a daughter.”

Throughout my college experience and beyond I have researched the Family Tree of Richard Brautigan. It was Dr. Barber that coined the term “Geneographer” for me. A combination of Genealogist+Biographer.

While the Brautigan novels “aren’t really my style” it never hurts to broaden your horizons and learn something new. The history of San Francisco in the 1960 is interesting for sure!

List of Richard Brautigan novels:

1964 Confederate General from Big Sur
1967 Trout Fishing in America
1968 In Watermelon Sugar
1971 The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966
1974 The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western
1975 Willard and His Bowling Trophies: A Perverse Mystery
1976 Sombrero Fallout: A Japanese Novel
1977 Dreaming of Babylon: A Private Eye Novel 1942
1980 The Tokyo-Montana Express
1982 So The Wind Won’t Blow It All Away
1994 An Unfortunate Woman: A Journey

In 2010 I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Brautigan’s daughter Ianthe Brautigan. She attended the dedication of The Brautigan Library in Vancouver, Washington. The Brautigan Library is a unique collection of nearly 400 unpublished manuscripts written by everyday authors. Thanks to a partnership between the Creative Media & Digital Culture Program (CMDC) at Washington State University Vancouver and the Clark County Historical Museum. The Library creation is based on Brautigan’s 1971 novel The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966. Imagine a library where anyone can be published!

At that event I was able to share with Ianthe Brautigan the portfolio of family history I had gathered. She was delighted! It felt meaningful to share history that she never even knew existed or where to find.

Researching a “public figure” is basically the same as my own family although none of my family seem to have archives at a large university.

I’ve driven by every home that Brautigan was known to have lived at. Tacoma, WA, Eugene, OR, San Francisco, CA, Bolinas, CA. I’ve stood in front of the statue that RGB used for a background on the City Lights books. I’ve sat in the Lights coffee shop/bookstore where he is known to have written. It was my pleasure getting to know Richard G. Brautigan and his family history.

Perhaps you have questions about researching a famous person, or your obscure North Dakota farmer, drop me a note and let’s see what we can learn.

Me and Richard Brautigan (cutout on display in Vancouver)

Current News / Historical Reflection / Research Opportunity

In light of recent pandemic news, please join me in exploring a little history. Sometimes this is the best way to research and preserve your family history. Taking a “world event” and asking “where was my family at this time?” and what records were available to learn about them.

Starting with the current Seattle Time news headline: March 12, 2020 “Governor Inslee orders all private, public K-12 schools to close through April due to coronavirus concerns.” Hundreds of cases of COVID-19 in our state. More than 40 deaths. Warnings to wash hands, not touch your face, stay home if you are in a high-risk situation. NBA, NCAA tournament canceled and even Disneyland/Disneyworld is closed down. Eventually a shelter in place statewide affects many states.

This is a national emergency, a pandemic, an unseen threat that has killed nearly 6,000 around the world (as of 3.15.2020).

As I got to thinking about my own families experience with previous pandemics. I remember the Hong-Kong Flu in December 1968. I was a young child, but remember our entire family was very, very ill. The worst fever, cough, aches and pains ever. We all survived. My mother remembers the Asian Flu in the spring of 1957. She recalls many of her classmates were very ill, missing several weeks of school. There was high fever, terrible aches and pains. They all survived. My kids were in high school and college when the big N1H1 flu scare affected so many. Thankfully we were spared. But thinking back to a much larger threat, it was the Spanish Influenza of 1918 I wondered did my family survive this? And how?

My Grandfather was 8 years old in 1918. Likely in school, likely aware of the pandemic from the newspaper. As he stood on the street corner and sold newspapers every day. He and his family reported no flu.

Sidenote: What have we learned from history? The 1918 Seattle newspaper led with a warning: “Do not trifle with Spanish influenza symptoms. The situation is positively dangerous here. You are warned to keep away from ALL crowds, in the open air as well as indoors. Do not waste time in restaurants. KEEP CLEAN! Wash your hands before eating. Don’t use towels or napkins used by others. Keep the air circulating well in home and office. Do not breathe in other people’s faces. Sneeze and cough into your handkerchief. If you catch cold, STAY AT HOME and bar visitors. If you do not recover promptly, call a physician. The city health doctors are preparing a vaccine against influenza. It will probably be ready for distribution late today or tomorrow. It cannot harm you, and if your doctor prescribes it, take it. If you are spending your vacation here, leave at once. Help relieve the congestion.” [Seattle Star, Tuesday, October 8, 1918] In the 2 weeks ending October 26, 1918 there were 40,782 deaths in the United States.

I question are there really no more safety barriers to virus in 2020 than there was in 1918? Many American’s have surgical masks but there is a shortage. People are hoarding food (and toilet paper). But social isolation is such a cold cure, I wonder how can we better prepare for pandemic.

My great grandfather lived in Washington state. He was a business man. Often driving folks around in his car selling real estate. He was an independent sort who likely ignored recommendations to stay in. Most states of death indexes available on line. Here is a good place to start looking https://www.deathindexes.com/washington/index.html .

His hometown reported 6,000 influenza cases including 120 fatalities, which accounted for 32 percent of all deaths in town in 1918.

I found newspaper articles on Newspaper.com. Local residents were required to wear masks while at the following venues: public transportation, buildings, stores, restaurants, offices, places where food was to be prepared, barber shops, cleaning establishments, public gatherings, and pool and card rooms. A violation could result in fine of $5 to $100.

His wife, my great grandmother, was a dressmaker caring for her four children (ages 6 to 20). They had cousins and relatives scattered all over the area. There are no known reported deaths in this family group.

Another great grandmother lived in a rural farmhouse in South Dakota. At age 71 her husband had died 20+ years earlier. She had limited social interaction outside of family and church activities but she did have her 12 children scattered across the county and she must have worried. Her youngest son and family, lived with her, thankfully there is no evidence of the flu in this family.

According to SD State Archives, https://history.sd.gov/archives/docs/Statistics.pdf statewide there were 1,847 deaths. Even the Governor of SD became ill, but did survive. State Archives often have fantastic genealogical resources.

Another great grandparent couple were in their 70’s and did not get the flu. They had celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a big party at the Evangelical church in 1917. He was a retired Fruit Grower and no doubt they had a large garden to sustain them.

My grandmother was 6 years old, living in rural Montana. She remembers wearing a cloth around her neck with a bad smelling root herb sewn in. She was not sure if it kept the virus away or if it stunk so bad that others stayed away from her.

Her father was a farmer. There was no city directory for this small community but the 1920 census listed a population of 547 (142 families.) City directories are available in a variety of places – public library, Ancestry.com.

His wife, my great grandmother, was busy as a mother of four. A nearby newspaper posted “Any and all persons having experience as NURSES are required to report at once.” It is known that she has nursing-skills. She told her daughter that she helped many with the flu, but did not suffer herself.

My great grandfather was a businessman in California, having recently moved from North Dakota. He worked as a farmer. He was untouched by the flu.

Seattle news reports on December 11, 1918 reported “Influenza Has Run Its Course.” Yet in the two weeks ending October 26, 1918 there were 40,782 deaths in the US. It is staggering to look at newspaper obituaries and death certificates with the cause of death: Spanish Influenza. In 15 months it killed 50 million people. It got its nickname “Spanish Flu” due to the attention given to the King of Spain getting sick and dying from it. There are several theories of its origin. Perhaps it was brought back to the US by Military Men and Women fighting WWI. You can learn a lot about a topic by looking at Google, or Wikipedia.

Fast forward to 2020 and we are frantically looking for a cure, a vaccine. One 1918 advertisement recommended the Oil of Hyomel for the prevention of Spanish influenza. I wonder if this was legit or snake oil?

In the weeks of my drafting this post the infected and deceased numbers have risen to more than 1,500 deaths in the US.

May God be with us all as we face this COVID-19 pandemic.

Thankfully my family did survive the flu. Did yours? I wish they had written a journal for me saying “how” they survived. For now, I’ll try to write a few things for future generations, I hope you will too.

How To

February 2020

I learned the basics of Genealogy from my paternal grandmother and The How Book For Genealogists by Everton Publishers. The 237 page hard bound guide had step by step instructions for becoming a Genealogist. Recently I found an online version here: [https://archive.org/stream/newhowbookforgen00ever/newhowbookforgen00ever_djvu.txt]

While the How Book is no longer in print, what it taught me back then, is still of value today! A good starting place is The Family Group Sheet. This single page document allows you to write information about the father and the mother, then listing all children and their basic information.

The How Book instructed “Write all names in their regular order – Christian name first, then middle name if any, and then the surname (John Christian JONES). Be consistent in the style you use for writing names, dates and places.” Also “a good practice is to write all the dates with the day first, then the month and the year “12 July 1893.” Page 11

My Pedigree Chart was filled in as I discovered family names. Thankfully my grandparents had written down their parents and grandparents names in their Bibles. Before long I had a 5 generation chart with names on every line.

The How Book stated “Genealogy is not easy to find: it still requires lots of ingenuity and long hours and months of diligent study. A sincere researcher never gets discouraged although it takes a lot of work, he knows success seldom comes without planned an applied effort. If one method fails, another is tried until the needed information is finally found.” Page 55 This is still true today, despite modern technological techniques that my grandmother would not believe!

Other How Book techniques that are still valid today include:

Log your research endeavors. Keeping a log of who you wrote and what records you looked at. More likely over the years I have re-looked at the same record as I’m not very good at logging my research. For those starting out – it’s a good idea.

Prove your records. After asking your family questions. You must gain records that prove the information. (Even more important now as you can’t claim it just because it is online.)

In those days, the How Book suggested to write letters. “Be clean and attractive, be courteous, be clear, be concise, be helpful, be reasonable, offer to share what genealogical information you have, plan your letter carefully! You may write thousands of letters, not all will be answered.” Page 37 (It’s still not a bad idea to write older family members for information!)

In those days, The Genealogical Helper was a bi-monthly magazine founded in 1947. It served people all over the world with research information, stories, book reviews, family associations and classified ads.

Places to Search:

Directories, Newspapers, City recorders, County clerks, National archives, Libraries,
Immigration bureau, Printed family histories, State histories, County histories

When searching online now for the Genealogy Helper I found this note:

https://myheritage.com/wvr-fl-redirect/
The services previously provided by WorldVital Records and Family Link are now available on http://www.myheritage.com.

I love all the modern search techniques but be reminded not everything is on online. Family history research is unique to each family and their migration patterns. Each ancestor has a unique story that requires extensive, detailed, good ole fashioned Genealogy Research!

Another book I used regularly was the Handy Book for Genealogists by George B. Everton, Sr. aka the “Genealogy Bible.” This book listed all the US states, a brief timeline and history along with a Genealogists’ Check List of the Historical Records Survey, Valuable Printed Sources, Archives, Libraries, Societies and Publications, Printed Census Records. Most importantly a County Map for each state including county boundaries, the date created and the parent county of each. It looks like this reference is still available. There are many online sources that offer the same. I’d recommend [www.familysearch.org/wiki]

Good luck as you get started on a hobby which has thrilled me my whole life!

Stories

Family history became important to me when I was just a child. I loved hanging out with my grandparents and hearing stories of their lives. How they met, where they lived and where they worked. My paternal grandmother was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution who taught me the basic techniques of genealogy. She was a first-grade teacher and eager for me to carry on the research. I heard stories about my ancestors emigrating from Germany, Scotland, Sweden and Canada.

In no time I had a sizeable family tree chart filled in. The local libraries and Salt Lake City Family History Library [https://www.familysearch.org/help/fhcenters/locations/saltlakecity-library] were my favorite spots. I learned to inter-library loan items and wrote many letters seeking vital documents. With each bit of information it answered some questions and raised others. I requested old photographs and letters from family members and the pictures brought my family names to life!

One challenge was that I knew my dad was adopted. Of course, I claimed his “grafted adopted tree” but wondered fiercely about his biological roots. What nationality? What medical conditions were looming in my dna? A thirty-year search revealed answers when a DNA test proved who his birth mother and birth father were. Along the way I learned a lot about adoption related searching.

This People Story blog is my effort to research and record legacy stories. Each of us has a unique story and I have enjoyed helping others find theirs. Perhaps you have questions about your family that I could help you find. So today I ask, may I help you write your family history story?

My First Blog Post

WELCOME

Since I was a child I have enjoyed research and writing the legacy of family history. From long chats with my grandparents to visits to the library I have loved the hunt for facts and information. Maybe it was the World Book Encyclopedia that my parents bought for us at home – we never guessed, we always looked it up!

Welcome to People Story Blog. I am interested in history, the history of anyone, anytime, anyplace, really the history of anything.

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Geneographer – part genealogy/part biography

A genealogist since I was a child, while in college I bedazzled a professor with my research skills about a famous writer he cared about. Thus I was given the title “geneographer.” It’s part genealogy/part biographer.

I have a lifetime of interesting stories about people. I look forward to sharing them with you.

I do hope the legacy work I have done will last forever and I hope to inspire others to do the same!

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