Laura Ingalls Wilder
November 12, 2023 No Comments
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, […]
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.
Sadie Crider
November 1, 2023 No Comments
The first image is a photograph taken some time in the late 1930s or early ‘40s of my great-great-grandfather, Marion Crider, and his second child, my great-grandaunt, 𝗦𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗲, standing in front of what appears to be a storefront on Main Street in downtown Sumner. Sadie moved from Eagle Bend, Minnesota to Sumner, Washington in 1905, […]
P.J. Swenson
October 27, 2023 No Comments
My great-grandmother Clara wrote in her journal about her uncle 𝗝𝗼𝗵𝗻 𝗦𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗻 who lived in Carver, Minnesota. The first image is an old photograph she had of him seated next to my great-great-grandfather dated “March 20, 1904.” On the back is written “Carl Göran Swenson and his brother John Swenson of Carver.” She called him […]
Carl Göran Svensson
October 25, 2023 No Comments
This is a portrait of my great-great-grandfather 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗹 𝗚𝗼̈𝗿𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻. He was born to Sara Greta Jönsdotter and Sven Persson on December 18, 1831 in Högstad, Mjölby, Östergötland, Sweden. He immigrated to America in 1883. He was an expert carpenter, cabinetmaker, and furniture maker. His son Carl Erick, known by his nickname “Charlie,” was a […]
William Riley Maynard, Spanish-American War Veteran
October 19, 2023 No Comments
This is a colorized photograph of my 1st cousin (three generations removed), 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗺 𝗥𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗱. He was an officer in the United States Army who served during the 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵-𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝗿. The conflict originated while Cuba was in a war for independence from Spain. After violence between Cuban rebels and pro-Spanish loyalists escalated on January 12, […]