Jacobson, Thomas B. (1846-1929)

JACOBSON, KNUDSON, WESTRE, LIEKNESS

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 4/20/2024 at 20:51:58

From Story City Herald May 23, 1929 (page 5)

OBITUARY OF THOMAS B. JACOBSON

Thomas B. Jacobson was born in Os, near Bergen, Norway, Dec. 3, 1846, and at the ripe age of 82 years and 5 months he passed away at his home in Jewell Friday morning, May 3, 1929.

Like so many of his countrymen in the old country, Mr. Jacobson decided to emigrate to America. Thus, in the strength and vigor of his best youth, he left Norway in the summer of 1869, some 60 years ago, and arrived at Clinton, Iowa, on July 4th, that summer. For some months he worked at that place, at the railroad work.

The following year, on Dec. 22, 1870, he married Miss Kari Jacobson. She too, was from the same place in Norway from which Mr. Jacobson had come. They were married in Story City, Iowa, Rev. Amlund performing the ceremony.

Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson lived in the vicinity of Gilbert until the spring of 1881, when they moved to the farm 3 1/2 miles southwest of Jewell which they had purchased the preceding year.

On January 9, 1910, Mrs. Jacobson, his first wife, passed away. In the year of 1912, after Mr. Jacobson had visited his old home place in Norway and had made his home with his daughter, Mrs. Andrew Westre, then living in Jewell, and visited different places in Minnesota and North Dakota, he bought a 56-acre tract of land in the Rose Grove community, one mile south and one-half mile east of the Rose Grove community, one mile south and one-half mile east of the Rose Grove church. While living there he married, as his second wife, Mrs. Nellie Knudson of Gilbert, on January 5, 1914.

As Mr. and Mrs. Jacobson were gradually realizing that age had begun to tell with them they decided to quit farming, and therefore they moved to Jewell in the fall of 1920. Some two years afterwards Mrs. Jacobson passed away on February 25, 1923. Since the departure of Mrs. Jacobson, Mr. Jacobson, Mr. Jacobson had fortunately had his niece, Mrs. Bertha Liekness, of Fergus Falls, Minn., to take care of him and his home. This she has done very faithfully these five years she has stayed with him.

Mr. Jacobson, by his first marriage, was the father of seven children. Five of them have already preceded him in death. The two children who are left to mourn the loss of their father are Mrs. Andrew Westre of Story City, and Mr. Erick Jacobson of Wallingford. He is survived by seven grand-children and two great grand-children.

Mr. Jacobson was baptized and confirmed in the state church of Norway. The religious instruction given him as a child he valued very highly. Mr. Jacobson, while he lived on the farm southwest of Jewell, belonged with his family to the St. Paul's congregation. In after years he joined the Bethesda church at Jewell.

The funeral was held Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 at the home and 2:00 o'clock at Bethesda Lutheran church, the pastor, Rev. Nordsletten officiating. Interment was made in Evergreen cemetery in Jewell. At the church service Mrs. John O. L. Johnson and Mrs. Elmer Erickson sang two duets in English and Mrs. Oscar Satre a solo in Norwegian. Those serving as pallbearers were: S. C. Severson, Lars Alvestad, N. R. Olson, O. F. Johnson, P. C. Christenseb and Chris Anderson.