Ole P. Sabo

SABO, WHITE, TESDALL, STRATTON, GREEN

Posted By: Deborah Gilbert (email)
Date: 9/10/2016 at 16:46:23

Maxwell Book: 1883-1983

Ole P. Sabo was born in Stavanger, Norway in August 1864 and came to Story County, Iowa at the age of 14 years-old. He worked on a farm for a family named White. There is no verification, but it is believed he worked for a Robert White who is buried on the Asa White lot in Center Grove Cemetery.

Ole lost a leg in a threshing machine accident and was fitted with a wooden leg. He was a stalwart, jovial man and became a citizen in 1887 at the age of 23 years-old. Shortly thereafter he established a harness shop on a corner lot of south Main Street in Maxwell. He was a harness maker and employed and taught others his trade.

Arta White was born in Potwin, Kansas on February 14, 1872. She and Ole were married July 17, 1890 in Nevada, Iowa. They had three children:

Leon was born in 1892 and married Hazel Tesdall of Huxley, Iowa. He died in 1926.

Daughter Lenore was born in 1894 and died in infancy.

Margaretta was born in 1903 and married Finley Stratton in 1923 and they left for California later moving to Portland, Oregon.

Ole was a good merchant and his shop serving the farmers in the area was an asset to Maxwell as it was growing. He was also a member of the Knights of Pythias, Samson Lodge #77 of Nevada, Iowa.

Ole and Arta had been able to purchase property and made their home in a bungalow not far from the shop. Arta was a good homemaker, steadfast to work in civic affairs and faithfully worked in the Christian Church. She had strong convictions about religion and politics and at one time served as Postmistress.

They both grew older and moved to the apartment above the shop. As time passed Arta became bedfast with her long standing heart ailment and died in June 1942.

Ole arranged with Margaretta and Finley to come to Portland live with them. Martha and Albert Green and many others helped Ole break up his home of 52 years with Arta and leave his home of 64 years as a resident of Maxwell.

He arrived in Portland in October of 1942. Margaretta and Finley gave him all the moral support they could and cared for him during eight weeks of illness. He died December 25, 1942.