Author: Eric J. Hokanson
John and Vicky Hokanson Celebrate 50th Wedding Anniversary
November 12, 2023 No Comments
John and Vicky Hokanson first met as teenagers during their freshman year at Central Christian College in McPherson, Kansas. Their first date was the Christmas banquet in 1969. They dated for two years before John surprised Vicky with a ring on Valentine’s Day. They were engaged for a year and a half, during which time […]
Laura Ingalls Wilder
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Laura Ingalls Wilder was a remarkable storyteller. She started writing 𝘓𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘏𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘦 after publishing her first book at the age of 65. Her cousin William Harrison Ingalls was a close friend of my 3rd great-grandfather Rev. William Maynard. In 1891, Rev. Maynard moved to Todd county, Minnesota. He purchased 80 acres in […]
Elwyn Anderson
November 11, 2023 No Comments
My great-grandaunt Anna Swenson-Anderson (second from the right) is shown in the first image seated with her husband Nels Anderson (far left), their son 𝗘𝗹𝘄𝘆𝗻 𝗔𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 (far right) and his first wife Marie (second from the left). This photograph from my great-grandmother’s photo album was taken in about 1930, just a few years after Elwyn […]
Nels and Anna Anderson’s Farm
November 10, 2023 No Comments
The first image is a photograph, from my great-grandmother’s photo album, taken in 1926 at Nels and Anna Anderson’s farm, located in section 14 of Bertha township, one mile southeast of Bertha, Minnesota. My great-grandaunt Anna (fourth from the left) was the second of five children, born to Carl and Mathilda Swenson on April 29, […]
Keith Papke, World War II Veteran
November 8, 2023 No Comments
In honor of 𝗩𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗗𝗮𝘆, I’m sharing these photographs of a cousin, 𝗞𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗸𝗲 who served in the U.S. Third Army under General George Patton during World War II. He was a decorated soldier who was awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, and Combat Infantry badge, among other medals. He fought in the 𝗕𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 […]
Kathryn Bigelow
November 7, 2023 No Comments
Here’s some trivia! On the left is an old photograph of my first cousin twice removed, 𝗘𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗮𝗽𝗸𝗲. He married the cousin of Academy Award-winning filmmaker 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘆𝗻 𝗕𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 (pictured on the right). She was the first female to win the Oscar for Best Director. She also won Best Picture for The Hurt Locker and is […]
Ethnicity Estimate #4
November 5, 2023 No Comments
Ancestry just sent me a message: “Our latest ethnicity update is ready!” It says “DNA results will be updated with even more precision in the coming weeks.” I’m surprised to see 1% Finland in the new ethnicity estimate. Where did that come from? It may be time to start planning a trip to Scandinavia …
Benjamin Maynard, Civil War Veteran
November 4, 2023 No Comments
My Dad and I visited 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗖𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘆 where more than twenty cousins from my paternal grandmother’s side are buried. There was a directory and map at the entrance which made it easy for us to find their graves. 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱 was a Civil War veteran who fought for the North. He enlisted in the Union […]
Charlie’s Cafe
November 3, 2023 No Comments
Based on a recommendation, we stopped at Charlie’s Cafe on our way to Long Prairie and were not disappointed. The caramel roll was delicious!
But First, Coffee
November 2, 2023 No Comments
Fortunately neither Dad’s flight nor mine were delayed so we arrived in Minneapolis for our father/son trip at the same time. But we had been up since 3AM so we stopped for coffee on our way to Rogers.